The Astral: Book 1
by Kbrandan2004
Summary: Kershala looked at the alien, it's light skin, yellowed hair and blue eyes were strange, but he did not feel threatened by its presence. If it was going to cause him harm it wouldn't have been touching his face before doing so. Kershala looked down at his beaten body and realized this alien had attempted to cover his wound. Still working on this project. Updates in progress.
1. Chapter 1

Kershala had only barely made it to his ship to lift off after suffering defeat at the hands of his pursuers. His suit was badly damaged having barely protected him from the final energy assault they had unleashed on him as he bought time for his kin to escape. He thought about the look in his younger siblings faces as their matriarch pulled them away hoping to escape. His family had been running for years, the last of a line of royalty that threatened the right to the current regime in his former home system. A place that he was no longer welcome, and he would likely never see again. His patriarch had been killed just a day earlier and he hadn't even had time to grieve before another attack ensued. He sat down in the pilot's seat and the ships computer recognized its pilot everything around him whirring to life. "You are damaged," the ships computer spoke to him in a confident voice, the AI taking information from the nanites in his suit. "You must seek medical attention."

"We do not have time, we have to get off this planet." Kershala began tapping the console in front of him triggering the ships engines. As it began to lift off the whole ship jolted. "What was that?"

"It appears they have found us, Kershala. Severe damage detected to left engine." Kershala checked the read outs on several different panels, his ship had been in several battles and gone into disrepair. He had not had time between battles as they got more and more frequent.

"Have the others left orbit yet?"

"Sensors detect that they are powering engines in orbit. It will take them approximately one minicycle to initiate an untraceable jump." Kershala brought the ship about and began firing not waiting to see what it was. As the ship turned and between shots fired he could see several Shiron soldiers opening fire on his tiny ship. He piloted the ship in such a manner that its movements were erratic and hard to predict, making him harder to get a lock. One by one the soldiers fell but the final one managed to get a few quick shots on his ship causing damage to minor systems. Relieved, Kershala leaned back in his chair and found it harder to ignore his wounds. He had managed to take out several of their troops his armor taking the brunt of their weapons, but it could only take so much damage before losing integrity. In the end he took a blade weapon to his side forcing his retreat. "Kershala, the Shiron master ship is closing on..." Before the AI could finish it's sentence he snapped out of his brief thought triggered the engine to full power blasting toward his family as fast as his ship could take him.

"Kershala, can you hear me?" It was his matriarch over the heavily damaged communication system. Her message was broken but he could understand her.

"Yes, Karu, I hear you. Can you get away from them?"

"I do not think so; the engines charge cycle has been disrupted."

"I am coming Karu, please hold on!" Kershala could feel fear bubbling in his chest at what was beginning to unfold before him.

"No, son, you are no match for them." He could hear the desperation in the matriarch's voice, "If you come to us they will only kill you too. Do not make me watch all of my children die!" Kershala's vessel cleared the atmosphere and could see the massive ship moving in on his family. He immediately opened fire on the larger vessel hoping to draw them away, but he wasn't even in weapons range yet and he watched as the charged energy shots dissipated in open space.

"Foolish child!" A voice came over his communicator and echoed through the small ship. "Seeing your patriarch die wasn't enough? Come to watch the rest of your family die as well?" It was the Commander of the vessel the monster that had been torturing his family for all this time. "I personally squeezed the life from your patriarch as he begged me for mercy, do you truly think I won't do the same to you and your worthless bloodline!" Kershala watched as the main gun powered on the massive ship.

"Please, take me in their stead, are an old woman and a few children really a danger to you? Spare them and I will come willingly."

"Kershala do not do this, he will only have all of us if he takes you too," his matriarch pleaded.

"You see, Kershala, if I take you and let them live the problem becomes clear. There are two youngling patriarchs on that ship. Unless I do something now, they will grow up thinking that their worthless bloodline has some right to any of this. Then it may appear as though I've failed my mission," Kershala's heart sank in his chest as the monster spoke, his answer to the plea ever clear.

"Kershala, I love you, live my son do not let him keep from you what is ultimately ours."

"Karu, I..." The weapon fired on the small ship carrying his family and his communication with the ship was cut off. The small civilian ship they had been using, was defenseless, no weapons and minimal shielding. Kershala felt numb as his hands dropped from the console and he watched as everything that mattered in the galaxy to him was destroyed in a flash of burning light. They had been running for several cycles and in a matter of only hours his Patriarch, his Matriarch, and his two brothers and sisters had all been lost. His ship floated in the vacuum of space motionless as he stared blankly out through the viewport at the behemoth vessel heading toward him.

"Kershala, we have to leave they are almost upon us. They will be able to use the weapon again in only seconds." The AI warned. Kershala sat motionless having all but lost his will to fight. He felt the pang in his side from the blade wound and looked down at it. He was bleeding through his suit, the violet beginning to show through the nano-filaments. Without warning the safety straps activated on his chair as the AI took control of the ship. Kershala passed out in his seat as the tiny ship jumped into faster than light speeds.

Kershala was jerked awake as his ship hit the atmosphere of a blue planet. He quickly reached up for the console to check the ships sensors when the blade wound made him freeze in place. Alarms were bombarding him as were several warning lights. It didn't take him long to realize that he was crashing on an unfamiliar world. He couldn't see anything that would tell him where he was, it hurt just to turn his head to look around. He tapped his arm twice activating the nanites in his suit telling them to reform his helmet and as they covered his head in full they filtered out the flashing lights. "Where are we?" The AI didn't respond and Kershala forced himself to move his arms to the console, as he looked up he cried out in pain. He was unable to tell how long he had been out. He looked forward and braced himself as best he could as the ship hurtled toward what would inevitably be a rough landing. He could see forest below him and there were buildings of unfamiliar design scattered over a large area.

The ship hit the ground with a violent crash immediately breaking the clear viewport. Shrapnel filled the cabin of the ship as it lost all power. The alarms went quiet and the only thing Kershala could hear was the crashing of his vessel along the ground when he was suddenly flung from the pilot's seat through the large hole in his ship. Kershala tumbled a couple of times before hitting a low rock face his ship however kept going landing another twenty feet from him. The nanites in his suit had taken all they could having absorbed the better part of the shock from his landing. He laid there in the darkness feeling the majority of the nanites fall from his body as the ones forming his helmet retreated into his implant. Kershala laid still for several moments able to feel the blood dripping from his wound before rolling onto his back. He said a quiet prayer that the air was breathable and laid staring at the stars hoping to see something familiar that he could use to get his place in the galaxy. Unfortunately, nothing looked familiar he had no idea where he was. The best he could hope for was that the AI took him somewhere the Shiron wouldn't be able to find him. As he lay there staring at the stars he couldn't help but become filled with grief as he recalled his last moments of consciousness. Tears came quickly, and he was overcome with grief at the loss of his family. They were gone and only he was left. He recalled the desperation in his Karu's voice and began to sob to himself, not able to control himself as both rage and grief pushed through his body not unlike the Shiron blade had done. His feelings came to a head and he cried out into the darkness as loud as he could before be falling into a coma again.

Kale had been out taking his dog out for a final bathroom break before heading to bed when he saw it. A ball of light flashed brightly in the sky followed by a crashing sound only seconds later. It hadn't hit too far from his grandmother's house he was looking after for the weeks coming. He had taken the dog back inside and grabbed a hoodie from the coat rack. It wasn't strange for him to take late night walks when he was visiting. He headed toward where he was sure he'd find the meteor thinking it'd make a pretty cool decoration for his coffee table. As he walked toward it he couldn't help but notice how quiet the night had gotten. There wasn't even the usual crickets or frogs chirping. That was when he heard it. A guttural cry of something nearby, he wasn't sure if it was an animal at first but by the end of the sound he was sure it was a man. He hurried his pace regretting having left his cell phone on the counter by the door. Hoping he wasn't going to find someone seriously injured or even dead.

He stepped into a clearing, he could see the scuff marks from where the meteor had hit the earth and left a burn trail the whole length of the hundred-foot clearing. He could suddenly hear a faint noise, not sure if it was man or animal he pulled out his keychain light and shone it around the clearing. He kept walking toward the end of the scuff marks when he could see something laying in the grass. As he got closer he began to recognize it as a person, he ran closer desperately thinking back to his first aid training that he wasn't sure if he remembered, not having used it before. He came to the body propped partly up on a rock. It was a man, but something was off. The man was well built, probably standing six feet tall, he was African Canadian. Kale could see course black hair speckling his body, he had a small unkempt beard. As Kale got closer and shone the light on the man's body he could see that this person was seriously injured and all but naked, basically only wearing underwear. Kale knelt beside him and touched his face.

"Hey are you okay?! Can you hear me?" Kale spoke clearly and slowly trying to elicit a response when he noticed that his blood was purple. "Whoa." Kale, not sure what else to do other than to care for this person, took his hoodie off and did the best he could to wrap the wound on his stomach, trying to gently apply pressure. The man was breathing though Kale couldn't seem to get a response out of him. He lightly tapped the man's face trying to get something from him, there was nothing. He stood and repositioned himself closer to the man's face and held open his eyes. What he saw next was something he was not prepared for. "What the hell?" The man's eyes were human like, but his pupils were significantly larger than normal and they were purple in color. "What are you?" Kale touched the man's face and slowly touched him behind the ear, when his body jolted, and he opened his eyes. Kale jumped back, and the man looked at him in fear, but he could tell he was in pain. "Whoa buddy, it's okay I'm not gonna hurt you. Easy!" Kale looked at his immediate surroundings trying to find something to arm himself with in case the need arose. But the man just sat there starring at him. Kale was careful to stay out of arms reach but tried to give out a calming aura hoping the man wouldn't feel threatened. He was already injured and clearly distraught, he wasn't sure why, but he could just tell.

Kershala looked at the alien, it's light skin, yellowed hair and blue eyes were strange, but he did not feel threatened by its presence. If it was going to cause him harm it wouldn't have been touching his face before doing so. His defensive implant had been triggered, an upgrade he acquired that was designed to wake him up if someone were to sneak up on him while sleeping. Kershala looked down at his beaten body and realized this alien had attempted to cover his wound.

"Can you speak?" It asked. Kershala's implant was translating the language and soon he'd be able to speak it if he wished to. It took a step towards him with a hand out stretched. Kershala looked at the alien in confusion not wanting to speak to it or to anyone after the loss of his family.

"Karu," Kershala cried to himself quietly tears filling his eyes again.

"Karu, is that your name?" Kershala looked sharply at the alien at the mention of the word. He could feel his heart sink in his chest. Neither of them moved an inch as they sat there in silence. Another pang of pain in his wound, Kershala grunted and removed the cloth the alien had placed on it he looked down at the crusted wound. It would get infected if he didn't clean it up soon.

"Is it serious? It looks like quite the wound," Kale walked toward the man still not sure if he spoke English. As he got closer he could see that he didn't appear threatening. There was loud pop and a fire started where the presumed meteorite had landed. In the light from the fire Kale could see several strange markings on the man's sides that seem to run the length of his body. They seemed tattoo like but not quite as they appeared raised. They were like nothing he had ever seen before. The sound seemed to trigger the man to reposition himself, so he could see where it was coming from. He struggled to stand and seemingly couldn't. He looked at Kale, his eyes seemed to be those of someone who had been deeply hurt and not just in the way that Kale was starting to see in the light of the fires. He could see that aside from the wound on his side the man was severely battered and bruised. "Man, you must have had one hell of a night."

Kale reached out to him and helped him to his feet then stepped back from him still not sure that any of this was a good idea. He watched as the man started toward the fire but before he got a couple of feet from him he fell forward barely able to walk, letting out a cry in pain. "Oh man." He walked toward the person and helped him back to his feet. It was starting to become clearer that this was not human even though he could easily pass as one to someone who maybe didn't just see something crash from the sky. "I'm going to guess what you need is over there in that fire. Let's go get it." Kale put the man's arm around his neck and started toward the fire. He was surprised that he just accepted his help without question. It wasn't long before they reached the fire the man didn't say anything but when they reached it. He leaned on what was clearly some kind of travel vessel. The man pulled from his balance and seemed unbothered by the heat from the fire. He hit the side of the vessel that was clearly made of metal and there was a strange hissing sound. Shortly afterward steam shot out from underneath the vessel and drowned the fire leaving behind an odd smelling foam on the ground.

He watched as the man put his hand on a small handle and pulled at it with a grunt. The first few pulls were unsuccessful but then the man let out one last frustrated growl and yanked the door off its casing. Kale wasn't sure what this creature was, but he was pretty sure it was strong. His suspicion was confirmed when the door fell to the ground with a heavy thud. The man sat motionless leaning against the vessel, clearly spent from fighting the door off its hinge. He looked at Kale and pointed into the vessel like he wanted him to step into it. Kale was weary, he looked inside the small ship, the power seemed to be off, but he wasn't sure he was ready to step inside. The man grunted in frustration and stepped inside the vessel himself it was clear this was taking a considerable amount of effort as he braced himself on the wall once he was inside. He looked back at Kale who was standing in the doorway and sat down in the seat. The ship was dark only illuminated by the moonlight, but Kale could see the sterile white colors there were consoles lining both sides of the ship. He could tell the ship must have lodged itself into the ground the ceiling was higher than it looked from the outside and he had to step down into the ship. The seat the man had sat in turned around to face him and he pointed to a small compartment above them to the left, soon after grunting in pain and cupping his wound again. Kale reached up and pulled on what he assumed was the latch to release the hatch and with considerable effort on his part it opened. Several things crashed out of the compartment likely having been shaken free from the crash including two vials of a purple liquid one of them breaking on impact.

Kershala watched the alien pull open the compartment and as he did the medical supplies from it fell to the ground of the ship. He leapt from his seat at the sight of the vial breaking, one of them had survived the fall but it was damaged, and it was his only hope. He sat against the wall the alien helping him settle as he picked up the vial and loaded it into the injector. It was a vial of medical nanites specifically mixed with his blood to match to him and his family. He only hoped that the crash and the heat hadn't gotten to them. He lowered the injector to his wound and found a solid place at the edge of the puncture and plunged it into his raw flesh. He grunted as he activated the injector delivering the nanites to the wound, Kershala knew that they would only be powered long enough to heal the main wound. His aches and pains would likely remain after the wound was gone. He leaned his head back and remained still able to feel the wound already beginning to close on itself. His breathing became erratic from the pain of the flesh regenerating, this procedure was best done under anesthesia but that was not possible. Over the course of a almost a minute the wound was completely closed. He knew that the nanites would continue working to regenerate the muscle tissue underneath, but he was out of immediate danger.

"That was pretty crazy man. What are you?" The alien spoke but Kershala ignored him, he sat for a moment thinking about his family. He hadn't been able to stop long enough to process what had happened with everything that he had just been through. The alien was still looking at him as he sat there in his own mind, he could feel his heart breaking for his family. He had never felt so alone before today; his entire adult life had been spent running from torturers but now he would run alone. He thought about how scared his younger siblings must have felt listening to his exchange with his Matriarch as he attempted to bargain for their lives. The tears started to flow uncontrollably as he thought the fact that he never got to tell them he loved them, his only consolation was that they would have died quickly and not suffered. He suddenly cried out overcome with grief and the alien seemed to jump back from him. "Look dude you seem like you've had a pretty rough night and I don't know what I can do to make it better, but I can't stay here all night and I feel like I shouldn't leave you here either." Kershala understood but still didn't feel like speaking. "Okay, let's start over. I'm Kale." The alien stood up and extended its hand to him. "What's your name?" Kershala looked away and wiped at his eyes, he took a breath and gathered himself as the warrior he was supposed to be. He stood and went to the pilots console he had to check if his ship was able to fly. If it wasn't he would abandon it and destroy it. He entered several commands bringing it to life around him. "Whoa, what are you doing?" The alien took a step toward the door. A combination of weapons fire and the damage the emergency FTL jump caused before the crash had rendered engines useless to the point where it would require a full rebuild. The power source had been spent with no way to reignite it.

"System restart complete," the AI came to life pulling from the back up power supply. Kershala could feel the AI reading sensory data from his implant. "Kershala, I detect that the ship is eighty four percent none functional. Sensors offline, weapons offline, engines non-functional."

"What the hell is going on here?" asked the alien.

"We are on the only livable planet in the Sol System, the Shiron do not know of its existence the likelihood that they will find us here is negligible. Our scientists have been here before," The AI continued ignoring the alien. "Shall I scuttle the ship?"

"Yes," Kershala spoke quietly.

"Beginning preparation. I suggest you and our guest make leave of the crash site I will keep the terrain damage to a minimal. Will you be taking my AI core with you?" Kershala stayed quiet still clearly in distress. "Kershala, I understand what's happened, but I believe you will need my assistance to." Kershala grunted loudly and raised his hand interrupting the machine. "Very well, if you do not wish to preserve the knowledge of your people, then I will." The AI was the remains of a much larger intelligence that existed before his family had been pursued. Kershala's grand Matriarch had created it during the war with the Shiran to both look after their remaining people and preserve their history. This was how it was able to take control of his ship and take him where it wanted to.

Kale felt like he had fallen right into a science fiction movie, a ship crashed from the sky he found a man that is clearly not human and now he was sure he was hearing an artificial intelligence. He felt as though the voice may have said his name. He was intrigued by everything that had happened so far and was curious to see where they would go next or if the ship was about to take off. Kale took another step into the vessel and was right behind what he now recognized as the pilot's seat. The glass was broken from what he could tell so there likely wouldn't be any flying going on, but he could tell that the ship was doing something.

"Human," the AI spoke, and Kale almost jumped out of his skin he did not expect it to speak English.

"What are you?"

"I cannot answer your questions yet, Kershala is in mourning, I need you to help me."

"Kershala, huh?" Kale looked at the pilot who's back was to him now. "Okay, what do you need? If you're going to take off could you let me know."

"We are not going anywhere in this ship, it has taken too much damage and will not fly again. Our directive is to destroy the vessel."

"There are people near here you can't just blow the…"

"There will be no explosion, we are not here to harm anyone," the AI interrupted him, "I need your assistance in removing my AI core."

"What how the hell would I be able to…" Kale couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was starting to wonder if he was dreaming.

"I will tell you, proceed to the main console, Kershala will not stop you." Kale threw his hands up and walked to the console still not really sure any of this was even real. He looked over at Kershala who just sat in silence as Kale turned the console toward him. "I am going to light a sequence on the console for you to activate in the order it shows." Kale nodded that he was ready, and a light sequence started across the tunnel. "Repeat this twice." Kale followed the instructions that were remarkable simple for something that sounded so complicated. There was a sound behind him like something unlocking. He turned and watched a panel fall as something slid from the wall. Kale walked to the protrusion on the wall.

"Is this you?" he asked.

"Yes. This is the housing for my core. Press down on the center to release the core. Please be careful, human."

"You can call me, Kale." Kale did as he was told, and a small light blinked before the cover opened and a cylindrical item slid up beside Kale's hand. He took it from the casing and looked it over, it was surprisingly light for something so advanced. There were two small lenses on each side of the unit.

"Thank-you Kale." The voice now came from the item in his hand. "Kershala, preparations are now complete. Initiating destruction."

"What?!" Kale tried to run to the door but when his foot slammed to the ground it went right through the ships floor. There was a strange almost buzzing sound all around him and his skin felt weirdly electrified. He turned to Kershala who had risen out of his seat, the ship around them seemed to be deconstructing itself.

"Do not worry, Kale. They are nanites, they will eat the ship but will not harm flesh and then they will be dust." As the AI described what was happening it made sense the sound he heard was the nanites, the feeling, the energy they expelled. It wasn't long before the whole process was complete, and they were left standing in the middle of the clearing. The wind blew quietly, and Kale watched as what was left of the ship was whisked away in the breeze.

"Does he understand me?" asked Kale looking right at Kershala who stood staring at the ground.

"He does, but as I said he is in mourning. We are in mourning. Give him time. In the meantime, please show him kindness." Kale wanted to know what had happened before they got to earth that was so horrible. He could tell by Kershala's beaten body and seemingly broken spirit that it had to have been pretty terrible. Kale picked his hoodie up off the ground and walked over to Kershala.

"Here. Put this on, we can get you cleaned up back at the house." Kale passed him the hoodie then turned to start walking. "Come on, it's not far."

The AI was quiet as they walked. Kershala had slid on the garment that Kale had given him. They were walking through a woodland area with thick trees as far as he could see. He could hear distant sounds of what was likely animals but he had also heard other humans talking off and on. About the meteor they had seen. Kershala remembered back to his matriarch's teachings about solar systems and science. He had heard of the Sol System but only in mention, the archive contained in the AI had maps that led here explaining how it found it's way here. But it was relatively unremarkable. Mainly due to the fact that its inhabitants hadn't yet left their home planet in any capacity. It was strange for him to be around a member of another species. They hadn't discovered any peaceful people in his lifetime, they had stopped looking once the war started. This human's capacity for kindness was refreshing, he had never been able to just let his guard down.

"We're almost there, it's just through this clearing." They quickly came up on the edge of the forest. Kershala could see a building only a hundred feet out of the woods or so. Kale ran ahead and stopped at the doorway waiting for him to approach. "Easy boy, easy." Kershala thought at first Kale was speaking to him but it was quickly obvious that he was talking to the animal in the door way. "Don't mind the dog he's friendly he may want to sniff you though. His name's Rhodie." Kershala approached the door and Kale stepped in. The animal walked over to him and began to smell him. Kershala extended a hand to the animal and let it smell him. He hadn't had a pet in a very long time. The animal reminded him of that. The dog woofed quietly at him and Kale slowly shuffled him into another room. The building was dark inside at first and when Kale came back into the room he flicked the switch on the wall activating the buzzing overhead light. Kale froze as the light flickered on. He had not seen Kershala fully illuminated.

"I can't believe this is happening." Kale walked to the counter and sat the AI core down next to the sink. "You should get cleaned off. Do you want some water?" Kale turned on the tap and water began to pour from it. A light began to shimmer from the AI core as a beam flickered over the water and the rest of the kitchen.

"It is safe for consumption." Kale watched Kershala step inside slowly and put his hands under the water then brought them to his mouth. He took a glass from the cupboard and filled it before passing it to Kershala. He quickly downed the glass of water and sat it back to the counter. He gave him a thanking look.

"Okay, you should get cleaned up. Come up stairs." Kale grabbed the AI core from the countertop and walked down a hallway turning up a set of stairs, Kershala kept up with him. He took him upstairs to the large bathroom and once again sat the core on the counter top. Kale started a shower running a little warmer than luke-warm imagining that the hot water would feel good on a battered body. "Just wait a minute for the water to be warm before you get in. There's a bar of soap on the ledge in there. Does he need anything else?" Kershala took the hoodie off and dropped it to the floor. "Guess not." Kale took the hoodie realizing it was stained with the purple blood that also spattered his clothing. "I'm going to throw this stuff in the laundry let me know if you need anything. Er, well…" Kale looked at the AI, "Can you let me know if he needs anything? I guess. You know Kershala you could say thank you. Just sayin."

Kale walked out of the room and headed down stairs putting his clothing in the washing machine along with the hoodie Kershala had been wearing. He found himself thinking of how he was going to explain this random person showing up with him to his friends and family although he did have a few days to make up reasons. Then his mind wandered to Kershala, what could have happened to make a man lose the will to speak? What had he been through? Kale started the washing machine and headed back upstairs. He could hear the water still running when he walked into his room to grab a t-shirt and shorts to throw on in the meantime. He sat on his bed briefly wondering again what the next few days would bring.

Kershala stepped into the stream and let the warm water run over his aching body. He looked down at his feet and watched as the water poured over him rinsing away the dried violet from his skin. The heat from the water felt good on his skin, the aches seemingly dulled even if only for a short few seconds. He exhaled as he rotated letting the water wash over his whole body. The blood that now flowed to the porcelain base along with the water over his body became a dilute color stained on the floor. He tilted his head back and let the water run over his face. It had been a long time since he felt such a feeling. His people had long gone beyond using water for cleansing, but it was refreshing.

"Kershala, do not over indulge, you must rest your body if you're to recover properly," the AI advised. Kershala ignored it his eyes still closed as he ran the water through his hair. Kale walked through the open door with more garments in his hands, he had changed his clothing as well.

"I brought you something to wear tonight if you want. The house gets a little cold at night sometimes. You're a little bigger than I am but these should be pretty comfortable." Kershala stopped what he was doing and looked at Kale, who appeared to be staring at him. His sensory implant was detecting increased vascular activity in the human, the AI having fully analyzed his physiology. He was sure it was likely fear and excitement that was causing it. Kershala stepped out of the shower and Kale passed him a large cloth. "Dry off and put these on," Kale sighed, "Still waiting on that thank you, you know." Kershala quickly dried off and took the garments from the counter top and put them on. Kale looked at him and made a strange noise before cracking a smile. "It's on backwards." Kale stepped toward him. "Turn it around?" He reached out to Kershala who didn't really know what he expected, the garments were slightly uncomfortable. "Just um…" Kale trailed off and lifted the bottom of the shirt. Kershala took the cue and fitted the shirt the way he was suggesting. "There that's it." Kale looked him up and down and patted him on the chest. "Come on you can sleep in the spare room down the hall. It used to be my dad's." Kale turned to walk out.

"Thank you," Kershala spoke in a raspy tired voice. Kershala's voice was softer than Kale expected, he would even say he was timid. It seemed strange for a man of his stature to speak so softly. The accent wasn't something he couldn't place but it was somewhere between British and Swahili. He looked at him and smiled.

"Wasn't so bad eh?" Kershala's eyes diverted down and his brow cut with confusion before taking hold of the AI core. "Let's go." Kale patted him on his shoulder trying to offer reassurance and led him down the hall to the spare bedroom. "This should be good enough for now." They walked into the small room and Kale introduced the bed. "It's a little hard, it's pretty old but…"

"It will suffice," the AI spoke from Kershala's hand. Kale watched as he placed the core on the end table next to the bed and sat down.

"I'll be at the other end of the hall if you need me." He walked out of the room and down the hallway to the bedroom he used when he visited. His eyes were heavy and he was certainly ready for bed. He tapped his phone that was sitting on the armoire when he walked into the room. It was two thirty. He hadn't seen two thirty since his early twenties. He let out a sigh as he picked up his phone. He usually had it on him all the time but left it behind when he was only taking the dog out to the bathroom and then everything started happening. There were several notifications on the touch screen of text messages and social media. He scrolled through the social media first realizing it was just several replies to comments he had left on some posts earlier in the night. The text notifications however were from his friend, Miranda.

" _Did you see that meteorite hit? It looks like it was pretty close to your grandma's house. Holy shit dude."_

" _Why aren't you responding you can't be in bed already?"_ Was the last message he got deciding she would already be in bed he didn't bother replying. He took his shirt off and laid down in the bed. He couldn't believe the night he had. It started with taking a dog out to pee and now there was literally an alien sleeping in the room down the hall with an artificial intelligence sitting on the headboard. Kale laid there briefly thinking if he was in danger or not but working in security gave him generally a good sense about this kind of thing and he trusted his gut. The other side of him was wrestling with whether he should alert the authorities. "You can't do that. That never ends well in the movies," he laughed to himself, thinking that his life had turned into a science fiction movie overnight. The other part of him was wondering what would Kershala do in the morning? Was he going to try to get back to wherever he came from, he couldn't stay with him forever could he? Taking him to the city when he was done house sitting would likely be the best for him. The fact that he seemed of African decent would make him stand out quite readily in town, let alone those beautifully strange eyes of his. Kale decided it would be best to speak with them in the morning and see what they could figure out, but for now he needed to sleep.

Kershala lay quietly in the darkness listening to the sound of the night around him. He could hear the animal moving occasionally downstairs as well as the sound of the old building shifting occasionally. He couldn't remember a time in his life where everything had been so quiet. He had always been with his family before this and even when it was quiet there were sounds to be heard. His youngest brothers talking as the lay in the bed next to him about things they found to be wonderous and grand. His Matriarch and Patriarch discussing emergency procedures should they have been captured or found. The quiet was lonely and Kershala wasn't used to it. The few times he had tried to close his eyes all he could see was the flash of light that destroyed his family or when his Patriarch fell in battle and he had to tell his Matriarch.

"Karu," he whispered in sorrow.

"Kershala, you must be strong, they are with the Zarai now," the AI spoke in an attempt to reassure him. Kershala took no comfort that his family were with gods that refused to protect them in their time of need. Nevertheless, he forced himself to close his eyes and ignore his heart so that he may fall into slumber.


	2. Chapter 2

Kale opened his eyes and sat up in his bed, the dog was laying beside him as it often did. He stretched his back and wiped the sleep from his eyes before getting up out of the bed. He stretched and looked out his window to see that the day was typical of late May. The sun was shining, and he could hear a faint breeze blowing through the window that was propped up a bit to keep the room cool. He remembered the evening that he had and quickly headed into the hall. He could see the mans form laying with his back to doorway under the blankets on the bed.

"Okay, yup. Not a dream." Kale went back into his room and grabbed his phone off the headboard of his bed and looked at it again it was ten thirty. There were already text messages from Miranda asking if he was awake and had he seen the light in the sky last night. He already knew it wouldn't be a good idea to speak to anyone about what happened, he held his phone in hand trying to think of some reason to stay off the radar. _Man, I was in bed at like 9 last night. I think I'm coming down with strep. Stay away._ Kale ended the text message with a green sick face emoji and sent it off.

 _No problem good buddy. Feel better._ The reply came back quickly, that would keep him relatively undisturbed for the next few days while he figured out his situation. He flicked open his Facebook app and scrolled through his timeline. Several people were posting pictures and video of the ship crashing, luckily even with high resolution camera's it was still all a shaking mess. A couple of pictures were shared of the actual site of the crash and there was nothing but the scuff marks for the most part. Kale flipped through the pictures and came to a shot of where he had found Kershala. There were black ashes on the rock and on the ground along with his dried violet blood. He began to wonder how much blood Kershala could loose and still be okay. Reading the comments told him that no one would be able to tell what it was anyway, and most people seemed to think it was oil or something. Kale breathed a sigh of relief knowing that no one was going to be looking for anything other than what they found at the site. He put his phone in his pocket, grabbed a change of cloths out of his suitcase and headed to the bathroom.

Almost trying to act like it was just any other day he started his shower and put on his morning music playlist. He stripped down and jumped into the shower the barely warm water jolting him out of his morning grogginess. He made it quick not wanting Kershala to wake up and just leave without telling him. He still wasn't sure of their intentions, but he wanted to be present when they woke up. He lathered up quickly and rinsed the soap from his body all in one motion. He sat for a moment to let the water run over him before getting out, toweling off and getting dressed. Kale went downstairs deciding that he'd cook something for breakfast and give Kershala time to sleep.

As he walked into the kitchen he turned on the radio by the fridge that was already tuned to a local easy listening station. He turned on the coffee maker and it bubbled to life. Then he headed to the fridge for some eggs, something he had almost every day for breakfast. He fired up the stove top and heated a pan than cracked four eggs into the pan deciding to do up enough for two in case Kershala was hungry. The song that was playing ended and a radio DJ began to speak.

"In local news today, it appeared as though a meteorite crashed into the forest last night. Many of you posted your videos to our page some good some bad. We had someone head back there today but no one could find any meteorite, if anyone got there before us and has it send us a snap of it. Cus we'd like to see it. Who knows maybe it just got up and walked away." The DJ prattled on about some other local stories that were generally disinteresting. The local community college was done it's semester and the return of some university grads. Kale couldn't help but laugh to himself at the "got up and walked away" comment. Another song started to play.

"If you only knew." The eggs were starting to sizzle from the heat and Kale gave them some attention making sure they cooked properly, and it wasn't long before they were done. Kale plated up the eggs and threw the hot pan into the sink he poured water over it releasing hot steam into the air. "Hm." Kale poured himself a cup of coffee and put some sugar in it. Then decided he would see if Kershala wanted to eat. He did his best to balance the two plates in one hand and with his coffee in the other hand he headed back upstairs into the spare room. He sat one of the plates on the table next to the AI core then put the other on the dresser by the door. "Hey Kershala," he said calmly, "just wanted to see if you were hungry." Kershala didn't move and the AI seemed to be at the very least not paying attention as neither of them responded. He sat and looked at Kershala for a moment, at some point he had taken the shirt off Kale had given him to wear and he was mostly uncovered by the blankets on the bed now as well. There was a beautiful vulnerability about him that was becoming increasingly more obvious to Kale. Something about the mysteriousness of him was alluring. Aside from the fact that he was physically beautiful, there was a softness there that Kale had never really came across in a man before. It had been a long time since he was attracted to a man maybe even several years since anything serious had come along. Kale shook his head. "Okay, bring it back." Kale sat next to Kershala on the bed and tapped the AI core. "Are you in there?"

"Yes," the AI said plainly. "I was running calculations on several scenarios that we face."

"When did Kershala eat last? I made him breakfast."

"It has been a few of your days." Kale was surprised to hear that it had been that long. "You may wake him. He has rested quite well according to his implants though his body will need time to heal."

"Is your coexistence common where you come from? Does everyone have those implants?" Kale couldn't imagine the technology involved in a true AI with full access to someone's body.

"No, our circumstances have forced us to adapt so that I may assist Kershala in keeping from …" the AI trailed off. "We will discuss this another time. Put your hand behind his ear as you did last night. The implant will wake him."

"That's not harmful is it? I don't wanna hurt him."

"Nor do I. It is not harmful." Kale shook his head and repositioned himself to be looking at Kershala so that when he opened his eyes he would see him. He put his hand on Kershala's face, his skin was warm to touch this time, his for-finger landed in the spot as it did the previous night and Kershala opened his eyes.

"Good morning," Kale whispered. Kershala reached up and touched his face briefly before sitting up in the bed a pained expression on his face. "Are you alright? How'd you sleep?"

"You've got severe bruising in several areas from both the crash and battle before it, do not move too quickly. The nanites you injected last night have depleted themselves fixing the blade wound and cannot repair you further. You will need time to heal." Kale could see that Kershala still wasn't really speaking his expression saying everything it needed to.

"I made you breakfast, if your hungry. It's not much but I can make you something else if you still feel like eating." Kale held up the eggs he made for him and sat them on his knee with a fork and knife. Kale took a bit of the egg on his fork and put it in his mouth. He realized as he chewed that he had forgotten any seasoning to speak of. Kershala examined the food briefly before taking almost a whole egg in his mouth and chewing. "At least it tastes good to you I guess." Kershala pretty much finished up the entire portion in only a few bites. Kale looked down at his plate. Really not feeling the eggs after the first bite and he offered them to Kershala who eagerly took the plate though he seemed to pace himself better with the second plate. Kale picked up his coffee and took a sip, slowly taking in the heat of the drink in his chest. "So, what does Kershala call you? Karu was it?" Kershala shifted his focus from his plate to Kale an aching in his eyes.

"Karu, is a term of affection mostly used in reference to one's birth Matriarch," the AI answered.

"Matriarch? Wouldn't you just call her your mother?" Kale was confused.

"A traditional family unit for the Daoran people may consist of many Matriarchs and Patriarchs." Kale thought it through but then realized his original question was left unanswered.

"So, what should I call you? You never answered my original question." Kale took another sip of his coffee.

"I do not have a name as you or Kershala do. I am an Augmented Neural Uplink and Biological Integration System."

"ANUBIS, exotic," Kale chuckled, "Is that okay?"

"It is suitable." Kershala sat the plate down on the end table next to the bed as he finished the rest of the food. Kale smiled at him as he sat on the bed and stayed quiet. Kale took another mouthful of his coffee and sat glancing between the two of them.

"And what do you guys plan on doing now? With your ship gone, unless someone comes to get you there's no going back, at least I assume there's not." Neither of them responded, Kale wasn't sure if they just didn't know or if they didn't want to tell him. "It's cool if you guys wanna stay here. I don't mind having a roomie. I live alone back in the city. I'm only staying here another few days until my grandmother comes back from her trip."

"Your hospitality is appreciated, we do not wish to impose. But as you correctly state we have no way currently to leave this planet," explained the AI.

"So, stay here. No worries for now. Not all humans are like me, so we may have to tidy him up a bit to fit in." Kershala cut his eyes slightly at the comment. "Hey man, I'm just saying you look a little unkept. I don't want people thinking I took in a homeless person." As the words left his mouth Kale regretted it.

"But we are homeless." Anubis spoke with no inflection in it's voice at all and Kale looked down at his coffee mug then back to the two of them.

"I'm sorry I… didn't mean that." He spoke solemnly, "I shouldn't have said that. Just by looking at you I can tell that you went through Hell to get here. I should have thought before I spoke." Kale sat peering at his mug for a long minute. "Are you still hungry? I can cook something else up." Kershala looked at Kale with little expression on his face. "Man, when is he gonna start talking."

"The Daora feel very deeply and he has been through something not many people live to experience. He will come around." Kershala looked at the AI core and Kale could see a sadness falling over his face again. He laid back in the bed and turned to the wall, his body jolting while he clearly cried to himself.

"Can you tell me what happened? I mean if I'm not being to forward."

"I cannot show you what put him in this state. But I can show you what his physical injuries were caused by," explained Anubis, "Take me to a large room and I will show you our … Hell."

"Um, okay." Kale stood up and picked up the AI core. "The basement is good and open." They left Kershala to rest in his grief and headed for the basement.

Kale flicked on the lights and stood at the top of the steps to the dark, damp basement. When he was a kid he could remember fearing going down there alone. Of course, he was just a kid so there was never anything that was going to hurt him. He started down the old creaky steps, they were blanketed in a layer of dust from disuse. No one really had a reason to come down here anymore. They used to use it for storage but after several yard sales and even a little bit of water damage it was pretty much clear. There was a large clearing just at the bottom of the stairs that would be good.

"This good enough?" Kale stepped out into the clear space with the AI core in his hand and swirled around in the open space.

"Yes," The lenses on the AI core did a quick scan of the area and it began to lift from Kale's hand levitating to the center of the room. "Please be aware that what is about to happen is a simulation. It cannot hurt you, though to you it will appear very real." Kale swallowed hard and nodded his head in acknowledgement. Bright lights began to shimmer from all four of the lenses on the AI core and their surroundings were changed to that of a small damaged home of unfamiliar architecture. Kale gasped at the realism of the projection it was more than clear that Kershala's people were very technologically advanced. Everything in the home was still even though there appeared to be fire burning it was oddly still for fire. "It is not active yet." Suddenly a woman and four small children populated around him as well as four armored creatures in the doorway.

"What are those things?" The inquiry was left hanging as the simulation started. Kale took a frightened step back as the large armored creatures barreled through the entryway. The creatures were fully armored in what appeared to be a black and crimson colored plating that skirted down their entire body. If you could only see their bodies, you would think they were human, but they had large heads. Kale couldn't see their face as they too were skirted in their armor, but the shape of their heads looked very animal in appearance. Strange glyphs wrapped around the armor different on each one of them.

"You will not take us!" Kale didn't expect to understand the language, the largest of the small children jumped at them from in behind the women. He appeared to be no older than ten, Kale watched in awe as a blade formed out of his arm as he was mid-air. He landed on the lead soldiers chest and forced the blade through its neck. The soldier fell to the ground and the one behind him grabbed the boy from the body and began to ring him by the throat with his arm around him to keep his weapon at bay.

"Please let him go!" shrieked the women pushing her other children behind her. Kale could see the life slipping from the child's face as the creature relentlessly and silently choked the life from him. He had never seen such violence deployed against a child before. "Tenaris!" The women pulled a weapon from her robes and opened fire missing her target. A loud crash to the left of the soldier and he fell to the ground freeing the child. The two remaining soldiers spun into action but before they could they were down. Everything happened seemingly in a heavy haze, something had broken through the wall causing dust and debris to be free in the air. A figure stepped out of the haze with the child in his arms and it rushed to the women's side. The figure was draped in a form fitting armor from head to toe, violet markings on an argent base, the helmet had no mouth but blank white openings where you'd expect the eyes to be.

"Will he be okay, Karu?" The voice was familiar the figure placed a hand behind where its ear should be, and the helmet seemed to crawl back from around his head to reveal a much less tattered and much more confident Kershala. The old women rushed to him and put her hand on his face, she looked at the child in his arms who was starting to come to. There was a flicker of light as she held her hand over him, a beam quickly flushed over the child.

"He will be okay, no permanent damage," she sighed in relief and took the child from him.

"Head to the escape ship, I will divert their attention." Kershala stood up to leave when the boy grasped at his hand from his mother's cradling arms.

"Kershala, I want to help you." Kershala turned to him and took a knee beside him.

"Tenaris, you have done enough." Kershala cradled the boys face and kissed him on the forehead. Kale watched as Kershala gave his mother a reassuring glance and stood up. The other children rushed to him and hugged at his legs. They were all much younger and didn't speak, Kale could see fear in their faces. Kershala touched them each on the head affectionately when the ground shook and there was an explosion nearby. "Go, Karu. Out the back, I will catch up to you in the attack pod. Once I have dealt with these demons." Kershala touched his implant and the helmet reformed around his head as he left the building.

"The attack pod, that must be what crashed," Kale spoke to himself. He couldn't help but feel like he was watching a movie in virtual reality. The women rounded up her children, Tenaris took to his feet and held the smallest girls hand and left through the opposite door with the women and other children. Kale felt an anxious feeling that he had never had before forming in the pit of his stomach when the surroundings suddenly changed to that outside the building following Kershala. He peered around at the alien landscape, it was unlike anything he had ever seen before. It seemed desert like in nature, huge strange rock structures surrounded the small building. On the ground strange plants reacted beneath his feet they were strange off orange and yellow colors, the dirt a deep blue color. He looked up at the sky where he could see two massive moons. It seemed to be daytime, but the sky almost matched the sand in color, so vibrant it was almost hard to look at. "Was this your home?" he whispered.

"Finally, we have caught up to you and your forsaken brood!" A deep imposing voice boomed all around them. Kale felt his heart skip a beat startled from the unexpected volume of the voice. He could see Kershala bracing himself for whatever was to come, tears started to form in front of him and dark holes started to open several more of the soldiers stepping through. "When we found your Patriarch, we weren't sure if you were with him. We didn't really believe that he would be foolish enough to keep his kin so close to him. But I had an inkling." The voice banged all around them. "Bring me his blood so that I may add it to my trophy collection, the blood of a prince will make me the envy of the Shironian sects all across the quadrant!"

As the soldiers approached him Kershala took up a combat stance taking a lower stature with his legs braced and fists raised. Kale felt his heart racing, feeling fear for him even though he knew that somehow, he was going to make it out. Kershala didn't wait for them to get to him when he ran at the nearest one to him. He came within arms reach and immediately engaged in combat, hit it with his fist. The armor it was wearing did little to protect it as its head practically swung all the way around, Kale could see the dent in its armor where Kershala had struck. He immediately turned his attention to the next closest landing a kick to its chest knocking it back several feet to the ground. The next three came at him together he brought his arms up in a cross to block a fist from two of them and kicked the third one that came at him from behind. He gripped one of the other two and basically swung him like a doll into the other. Kale couldn't believe watching Kershala fight, how powerful he seemed, all he had done and he didn't even seem winded. Kershala put down 4 more with similar ease before the remaining soldiers began to hesitate.

"What is wrong demon! Expected this to go more in your favor?!" Kershala screamed in rage.

"What's wrong with you fools, one Daoran rodent shouldn't be able to best you so easily," the voice echoed overhead. Another tear opened and several more soldiers stepped out. Kershala turned his attention to the new arrivals, he ran toward them and bounded into the air at least fifteen feet. Kale watched as just before he struck one of them a glowing whip wrapped around his waist from behind, catching him mid air and slamming him back to the ground. Kershala grunted but got right back to his feet and grabbed the whip using it to throw its attached owner at the new arrivals. This managed to knock several to the ground, but they had now armed themselves with various weapons. Their weapons were strange, they seemed to be directly attached to their armor, various blades and whips and some weapons that Kale was sure there wasn't a human equivalent to. The soldiers came at Kershala, the first few he dispatched easily managing to decapitate one with its own whip another he thrust his fist through it's chest. Then he began to get overwhelmed seeming taking hits from all angles. His armor seemed to be taking most of the attacks, but he didn't seem able to move. Kershala seemed to still be fighting knocking three more away with his first. Kale could see a glow traveling the purple glyphs in Kershala's armor. In one quick motion he watched the glow travel to Kershala's fist, with that Kershala slammed his first on the ground. A blast of energy was released from him that knocked his attackers seemingly in every direction. Kale ducked down as one flew straight at him.

"Nanite integrity at sixty percent," Kale could hear Anubis speaking seemingly from inside the suit, "You should retreat now while you have the upper hand."

"Has the ship taken off yet?" asked Kershala.

"Not yet they are still en-route."

"How long do they need?" Before Anubis could answer, an energy weapon hit Kershala from his flank. One of the soldiers had recovered and was running at him with his wrist held up the energy blast coming right from a wrist mounted cannon. The weapon didn't look like much at first, but the next blast hit Kershala staggering him slightly. He fired again this time Kershala was able to dodge and threw something at him. Kale couldn't quite make out what it was, but it hit the creature and exploded sending body parts flying in multiple directions. It seemed to Kale as though Kershala was winning when a ship, the size of a fighter jet, abruptly appeared seemingly out of thin air.

"Fine then I will do this myself!" This was the voice they'd been hearing. A large weapon deployed from the bottom of the ship and fired a beam at Kershala, who picked up the nearest body and held it in front of him. The beam hit the body he was holding, and it vaporized.

"Holy shit!" Kale was shocked at the power these people had at their disposal.

"I knew that probably wouldn't work. But let's see how much those nanites your people are so proud of can handle!" The weapon seemed to change shape and turned red as it began firing not unlike a Gatling gun. Kershala shielded his face as he took heavy fire. Kale watched as he bounded behind a rock but not before taking countless energy blasts all over his body. The ship continued to fire a stream of the yellow energy projectiles at Kershala's hiding place. The rock between him and the ship was quickly turning into nothing as the weapon shredded the stone.

"Nanite integrity thirty percent. They won't stand much more of this." Kershala powerfully used the rock between him and the ship to propel himself into the air. The weapon tracked him hitting him several more times before he landed on top of the ship. He held on by one hand and began punching at the one-way glass on the face of the ship with the other. Kale could hear the loud bang of Kershala's fist crashing against the glass repeatedly. He could see it starting to crack as the ship started to move itself around to jar him from his grip on the hull. Kershala let out one last rage filled cry before his fist went through the glass completely shattering it and leaving the pilot exposed. With ease, Kershala ripped him from the pilot's seat and leapt from the ship sending it crashing down in flames behind them. As Kershala came down he landed right on the creature before placing both hands on its skull and crushing the helmet with shear force. Kershala stood up and took a breath.

"Have they made it to the ship?" he questioned with desperation in his voice. Kale had to imagine that after such a feat Kershala must have known he couldn't last any longer.

"Yes. They have lifted off and are heading into orbit." Kershala exhaled in relief and just as he had another tear opened in front of him a slightly smaller warrior jumped through and stabbed him in the side, the blade weapon forcing itself right through Kershala's armor. Kershala cried out in pain from the wound, clearly taken by surprise. The new creature pulled back but before it could retreat through the tear that stayed open Kershala grabbed its arm with one hand pulled the dagger from his side with the other then drove the dagger into it's head. The body went limp when Kershala threw it into the tear before it quickly shut. Kershala fell to his knees gripping at his side and cradling the wound. He looked down at it after triggering his implant to remove his helmet. He looked down at the wound and the armor retreated to reveal the stab wound, his violet blood flowing like a river from the hole left in his side. The armor quickly closed over the wound and Kershala's helmet reactivated on its own, as he began taking more fire from several different directions. Kale figured they must have decided to deploy snipers as there was no one to be seen. Kershala's head made a motion as though he had been slapped, Kale gasped as Kershala cried out in pain and fell to all fours. Kershala reached into a slip on his leg armor and pulled out a small preloaded injector and shoved it into his thigh. He rose to his feet and quickly took off running, Kale could hear the shots whisking by him, the dirt and rock around him randomly shattering as the projectiles collided near him.

Kershala disappeared around the structure and their surroundings changed, the structure disappeared completely, and the attack pod seemed to be fifty feet or so away. Kale looked around, Kershala was no where to be found. He wasn't sure if the simulation was paused or not, the air was calm and silent for several long seconds. Then a noise came from behind him and Kershala landed in front of him rolling on the ground and getting to his feet. He left a trail of blood where he landed, and Kale could see a patch of blood for every step he took it was clearly running the length of his body. He approached the pod and the door opened Kershala stepped inside and Kale was transported just inside the door to the craft as it shut. Jarred by the experience he knelt to the ground and watched as Kershala took the pilot's seat and the ship came to life.

"You are damaged," the AI spoke. "You must seek medical attention." Shadow's flickered all around them and suddenly the ship was falling toward what Kale recognized as Earth. Kale could make out tears in Kershala's eyes as he reached frantically for his equipment, barely able to move because of his wound. Everything happened in a sudden motion as the ship collided with the planet breaking the glass Kershala was flung through the broken glass of the view port and slammed into a rock. Kershala barely moved but was able to prop himself up on his arms, his armor seemed to turn to sand and fall away from his skin and the helmet dissolved into the implant leaving him in the form Kale found him in, battered and broken. Kale watched as he struggled to roll onto his back, tears streaked his face and his wound seemed to be gushing, Kershala let out a cry then fell unconscious.

The landscape around him seemed to disintegrate and his surroundings changed to that of the basement again. The AI core still hovered in the center of the room and slowly levitated back to the ground. Kale stood silent trying to process everything he had just taken in, he wasn't sure how long it had been since the simulation had started and ended.

"Anubis how are you able to show me all of this?" he asked.

"Through the use of information gathered through the family's implants and sensor systems implemented in the housing and vessels I can reconstruct images of the past," Anubis elaborated.

"I can't believe that was Kershala. How did he learn to fight like that? How did that little kid get a blade out of nowhere? What were those things that were attacking you guys?" Kale had so many questions about what he had just seen he didn't even know where to really start.

"Forgive me, I understand you have questions, but it is not for me to decide if I may answer them for you at this time." Kale walked over and picked the AI core from it's spot on the floor.

"Why is that?" he asked.

"You must understand, Kale. We have been hunted for a very long time. I will let Kershala decide what to tell you about our people." Kale accepted the explanation, after what he had just seen it would have been wrong to argue. There would certainly be time for that later.

"I'd like to say I get it, but I don't think there is anyway I could ever understand what it's like to be hunted."


	3. Chapter 3

It had been another two sunsets since Kershala had arrived on this planet. Kale had continued to show him great hospitality and his body was on the mend. Even though Kershala hadn't really spoken to him he could feel a bond forming between them. He had taken his time to grieve alone and Kale had been respectful of his wishes to remain silent. Kale had left for the "grocery store" and Kershala found himself wandering around the home he had spent the last days in. It was rather large and well lived in. Still images in wooden frames lined the walls in certain rooms. Memories of a time since passed. Some of the images were colored some were black and white. All of only a couple different humans, the concept of the images was strange. The ancient Daora had done similar things to preserve the past but now since their people lived on the run, they had to store them on portable computers like the AI, Anubis, Kale named it. Nothing like this existed of the Daoran people anymore. Kershala picked up one of the pictures and looked it over. He touched the glass plate that protected the image. The image was that of a youngling with an animal, not unlike the one that seemed to follow him around the house. Kale referred to it as Rhodie and had explained that it was his grandmothers' dog in conversation with the AI. The youngling was clearly Kale at an earlier age. He sat the picture back on the table that lie just in the door of the "living room" and walked further into the room. The floor creaking under his feet he looked out the large glass window and into the yard. It had started raining and the day was dark with the sun hidden behind clouds. The rainfall was calming he was able to hear it through an open window in the "kitchen".

The quiet was something Kershala wasn't used to being comfortable in. He had spent his entire adult life defending his family and running for his life. He had grown accustomed to the fact that if it was silent something was likely going to try and kill him or his family soon. By nature, it made him uneasy, but the fact that the Shiron were likely unaware of this planet's existence brought him solace in the quiet. He couldn't recall a time when he could completely let his guard down. He walked over to the "couch" that sat along the wall and took a seat. The AI core was on the table next to it.

"How are you feeling Kershala?" it asked.

"It still hurts," Kershala paused, "but it is bearable." Rhodie came into the room and curled up at his feet. Kershala had taken a handful of the heart shape treats the dog seemed to enjoy from the kitchen and put them in his pocket. He sat one on the floor in front of it and the dog happily crunched down on it. "It is nice to feel truly safe, for once isn't it?" Kershala pet the dog on the head then rested his elbows on his knees and gazed at his surroundings for a little bit. "I cannot remember ever experiencing this kind of quiet before."

"You never have." There was the sound of a combustion engine outside and Kale's vehicle pulled in the yard. Kershala watched from the seat as Kale got out of the car with a couple of sacks in his hands and walked out of sight. He could hear the door in the kitchen open followed by the rustle of the bags he carried. Kershala sat and listened to the commotion from the other room. The sound of doors opening and closing, and drawers being moved around echoed through the house. Kershala heard a glass break, startled at the sound he joined Kale in the kitchen.

"Oh, hey Kershala," Kale bent over to pick up glass shards that had fallen to the floor. "Watch your, step. I didn't see the glass by the sink." Kershala watched him take several larger shards and place them in the "garbage can". He grabbed a tool from next to the counter with bristles at the end of it and began running it across the floor to get the rest of the shards. "Hey, remember I said about cleaning you up a bit? I watched a YouTube video last night about how to trim a beard like yours and I'm convinced I can get you looking pretty slick. I got some stuff for it at the drug store." Kale smiled at him as he finished cleaning up the mess. Kershala was initially offended at the fact that Kale thought he looked unkempt but after seeing himself in the mirror a few times he realized he was right. It had been a long time since his last real grooming. Something the oldest Patriarch would traditionally help him with as a young man, but they hadn't had time in recent months as they fought to avoid detection.

"Recently, there had not been time for personal grooming," said Kershala.

"It's okay I'd like to give you a hand with it. Wait," Kale turned from what he was doing and looked at Kershala. "Are you…" he paused, seemingly formulating a response, "I'm glad you're feeling better." Kale smiled wide, Kershala detected his heart rate increase, "Were you hungry or did you want to get right to it?"

"I am not hungry," said Kershala.

"Okay," Kale shrugged his shoulders and grabbed a bag from the counter top, "then let's get you tidied up then. Come on." Kershala followed Kale up the stairs the dog wasn't far behind them. Kale led them into the bathroom and began running water into the sink. The water was hot Kershala could tell from the steam rising from the pool that formed. Kale left the room and came back with a couple of chairs and sat them facing each other. "Have a seat." Kale took his communication device from his pocket and looked at it for a few seconds. "I picked a couple of styles that I thought would be a good fit for your facial structure."

"My facial structure?" Kale passed him the device with a couple of pictures on it. The first picture was a young man with just a small patch on his chin. Kershala could swear the man he was looking at was Daoran, but he was wearing human clothing and his eyes were more like Kale's. "I do not like that one, too short." Kale laughed a bit at Kershala's reaction then used his finger tip to change the picture. The next one was a man with a full yet trimmed beard that wrapped the length of his face and around his upper lip. "This one."

"I was hoping you'd pick the other one, it's easier. But I'll see what I can do." Kale turned the water off and took a couple things from the bag. "Wet your face for me. Careful the water is hot, and you should probably take that shirt off. I can't guarantee this won't get messy." Kershala stood up and lifted the shirt over his head and let it drop to the floor beside them. He dipped his finger in the sink to test the water before bending and flushing the water over his face. He sat back down in the seat in front of Kale with water dripping from his face and beard. Kale had a small tube in his hand. "This stuff is supposed to soften the beard, prep your skin for the razor." Kale passed Kershala the tube seemingly expecting him to do something with it.

"I am sorry I…" Kershala felt embarrassed at not really knowing what to do with it. Personal grooming had become so far from important to him that aside from bathing he knew nothing. Kale smiled at him and took it back from him.

"I don't mind, as long as you don't get weird about me touching you." Kershala looked at him confused. "Um, never mind. I tried to get all-natural stuff, so it should be pretty good." Kale squeezed a sizable portion into the palm of his hand and rubbed both of his hands together. "Smells good anyway." Kale raised his hands to Kershala's face and began to massage the cream into his skin and beard. He seemed timid at first but quickly realized Kershala was welcoming it. It felt good having someone else massage and touch his skin, Kale was gentle but stern in his actions. The cream quickly started to foam around his face, Kale was careful not to get it into his eyes. Kershala stared at him not sure what to do so he just let it happen.

"It does smell nice." Kale smiled at him and stared intently into his eyes as he lathered the cream on his face and neck. Kershala had never known the touch of someone not family, he let himself relax in Kale's hands. He closed his eyes as Kale rubbed a thumb beneath his eyes then moved his fingers down to his neck and around his upper lip making sure to spread the lather evenly.

"There now that just has to sit for a minute or so." Kale took his hands away and started to stand up when Kershala took his hands and placed them back on his face. Kershala wanted him to keep going, he enjoyed the contact and the way Kales hands felt to his face. He stayed quiet but looked up at Kale for a second.

"It is a strange sensation I have never felt before, to have another touch my face in this way."

"You're too cute," Kale smiled at him and sat back down. "I thought I may overstay my welcome if I kept going." Kale continued to massage his face and Kershala let out a content sigh and closed his eyes taking in the feeling. The cream was starting to leave a cooling sensation that triggered senses in Kershala's skin he hadn't used in a long time. This went on for another minute when Kale stood up. "Okay that should be enough time. Now rinse your face in the sink okay?" Kershala nodded and stood over the sink he bent over and splashed the water to his face getting most of the lather off. Kale passed him a towel and he wiped off what little bit was left then took his seat again. "That should get your skin ready anyway." Kale took a different tube from the bag and then dipped a cloth in the sink. He took the cloth and wet Kershala's face again. He put the contents of the tube on his hands and rubbed them together this time not hesitating to apply it to parts of Kershala's face and neck.

"What is this?" asked Kershala.

"It's shave cream," said Kale, "It makes the razor glide over your skin better."

"Ah, a lubricant then."

"Yeah actually." Kale stood again and took a small tool off the counter. He popped the top from it and replaced it with a new one from in the storage above the sink. "Be really still when I'm doing this, I don't wanna cut you by mistake." Kershala watched Kale grab a cup from the counter and fill it from the sink. He dipped the razor in the water and put it to Kershala's skin. He began carefully shaping Kershala's beard starting at his cheek bones and working it down to his neck. The razor felt strange, the last time Kershala groomed his face he used a laser tool, nothing actually touched his face. Kale repeatedly dipped the razor to rinse it getting off the excess hair and shave cream.

"Is grooming always so intimate on this planet?" Kershala watched as Kale's cheeks flushed red.

"Um, not all the time, between close friends or… lovers I guess it often could be." Kale stuttered through his sentence.

"I am sorry, I did not mean to make you uncomfortable," Kershala apologized.

"I'm just glad you're talking to me, I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever speak to me." Kale ran the razor slowly along Kershala neck when he felt it cut him. "Sorry, you okay?" He pulled the razor away and a dab of violet blood mixed with the cream fell to the floor.

"Yes." Kale smiled at him and continued clearing his neck of facial hair. "I barely felt it." Kershala smiled at him as Kale passed the razor over the final stretch of skin and dipped it in the cup.

"Almost done," he said wiping the excess shave cream from Kershala's face with the wet cloth. He took a different tool from the bag that was in a box, Kershala watched him open it and pulled the tool from the casing. Kale plugged it into the wall and fiddled with the tip of it adjusting it to a particular length. He adjusted a switch on the side of and small tool came to life with a buzzing noise.

"What is that?" Kershala was curious.

"It's a clipper." Kale looked over the tool as it buzzed.

"Unpleasant little thing." Kershala disliked the sound it made it was ruining the mood.

"Don't worry you shouldn't have to use it often after the first time. Depending how quick your facial hair grows anyway." Kale looked the clipper over seemingly checking if it was adjusted properly before running it through what was left of Kershala's beard. The process was quite quick not taking long for Kale to cover what was left. The small hairs fell to the floor as the clipper did its job. Kale making sure to make more than one pass over the whole beard. "I think that should do it. Looks pretty even shaped now." Kale placed his thumb and forefinger on Kershala's chin and looked him over turning his face left then right. "All good. You look great." Kale ran his fingers through Kershala's thick coiled hair. "We should try and do something with this too. Maybe just shaved down the sides and leave it on the top." Hairstyles were certainly something Kershala hadn't had the time to consider. He had no idea what to even consider.

"Whatever you think will be good," Kershala shrugged. Kale smiled and took hold of his communication device from the counter top once again, using it for a reference point.

"I'll probably just leave it like it is on the top and short on the sides," Kale repeated himself, "It'll look good but also because I'm not entirely comfortable doing a whole lot more in case I mess it up. I don't imagine the salon here in town would be able to fix it." Kale sat his phone back on the counter then adjusted the clipper. "Hold still." He stood up behind Kershala and started to run the clipper over his head. Kershala watched as the coiled locks fell to the floor and kept still as Kale told him. His Karu had cut his hair the better part of a year ago when it had gotten too long for the nanite helmet to encase properly. She had chastised him for not taking the time to groom himself properly. Joking that before the Shiron he'd have been sent to a monastery where he'd fit in. Kershala smiled at the memory of her laughing at him. It wasn't often they got to experience those kinds of moments, they were treasured as they happened. "What are you smiling at?" Kale spoke softly observing his reflection in the mirror.

"A memory of the last time someone cut my hair?" Kershala went quiet and focused his eyes on the floor. "There is not much to be happy about in recent memory." Kale turned off the clipper to listen.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"I… am not ready, Kale." Kershala turned and looked at him. "I am sorry. It is not that I don't want to. My people are very open with their feelings and experiences." Kale gave him an understanding smile. "It is too painful." Kershala turned back to his position in the chair. He felt a comforting hand rest on his shoulder.

"Whenever you're ready, I just want you to know I'm here… okay?" Kale turned the clipper back on and went about the haircut. Kershala had never been shown compassion by another race. The Daora were often alone in their emotional expression, these humans seemed to at least be able to share in it.

"Thank you."

Kershala remained silent for the rest of his haircut. Kale was quite happy at how everything turned out and he was sure Kershala would fit in, if no one stared at his eyes too long. It was around seven thirty in the evening the same day. Kale had just finished cooking supper for them and was doing up the plates. He decided to make a basic meat and potatoes kind of dish, with chicken. Kershala was sitting at the table watching him, do up the plates. The AI core sat on the counter beside him.

"Thank you for preparing food for me," said Kershala. "It is very different than what I am used to, but it's good."

"What are you used to?" Kale asked as he walked the plates to the table. The table was completely set with utensils, bread rolls and butter and a glass of water.

"A lot of our food would come from a protein synthesizer. It was just easier on the Patriarchs." Kershala explained as Kale sat at the table.

"That's an interesting dynamic. In our culture, the mothers often do the most cooking. All be that a bit antiquated at this point." Kale grabbed a roll from the bowl on the table. Kershala did the same. "My grandmother will be home on Friday morning, so we'll be heading back to the Halifax before then." Kershala stared at him and Kale laughed quietly. "Right, you don't know how our weeks work yet. So not tomorrow but the day after."

"I see," Kershala took a bite of the bread roll.

"You guys should do a little reading over the next few days to maybe get an idea of how things work here and how you could fit in." Just then Kale's phone went off with a text notification. He picked it up and looked at it.

 _Hey buddy, how ya feelin Jason saw you out getting groceries and stuff?_ Kale had forgotten about her over the last couple of days and realized that he couldn't pretend to be sick anymore. He glanced up at Kershala who was content in his food.

 _Yeah, I'm thinking I'm pretty good, whatever it was passed._ Kale watched his phone he could see that she was typing a reply.

 _Good then let's go for coffee tonight then no excuses I know you're leaving in a few days._ Kale smiled to himself, "going for coffee" meant a lot of things to them. They usually went to the drive through at the local Tim's, he'd get a tea, she'd get a double-double. They'd go for a ride around town and talk about some of the local gossip and probably end up at her grandmothers where her family would be. Even at all hours of the night the old women would be awake, and Miranda's siblings or cousins would be there just hanging around. Then they'd end up driving or talking again before she'd drop him off at the house.

 _Okay. When are you going to be free?_ Kale typed knowing full well the answer would likely be…

 _Probably 9:30._

 _See ya then!_

"What is that thing? You seem to use it for a lot. I know its for communications." Kershala had stopped eating and was looking at him.

"Oh, it's a phone. It can do a lot I guess. I was just talking to my friend Miranda. I use it mainly for internet access, social media," Kale explained not really sure if the explanation would make things any clearer.

"May I take a look at it." Kale held it out and passed his phone to Kershala, he looked at it and held up to Anubis. The AI core shimmered as it quickly scanned the phone. "It is fragile." Kershala looked it over as well. Kale assumed he had gotten information from the AI's scan. "Glass?"

"Yeah, expensive glass, don't drop it," Kale laughed even though he was serious.

"I'm detecting several moving parts, plastic and metals contained in a glass frame. Minimal processing power," said Anubis.

"Hey don't be insulting. It's no AI, but it does the trick." Kale smiled as Kershala sat the phone on the table both going back to their meal. Kale took a bit of the potatoes, chewed and swallowed. "So tonight, my friend and I are going to go out for coffee. Up for a little experimenting? She's a pretty laid-back person I just wanna see what she thinks of you." Kale really wanted to see if Kershala would fit in in a semi-public environment before they were faced with the city. He knew that if it came to blows Miranda could keep a secret, even one as big as this.

"That will be acceptable," said Anubis. "If we are going to be here, Kershala must learn to blend in."

"I would welcome the opportunity to socialize." Kershala looked up and smiled at Kale.

"Okay great. Just don't mention anything about how you got here. I'll fill in the blanks when she asks because I know she will. If she says anything about your eyes just say it's a birth defect." Kale glance over at Kershala and realized he would likely need different clothing, he had been wearing the same sweatshirt and shorts for a few days. "I'll have to get you some clothing. I've got some comfort cloths upstairs that I think will fit you pretty good. They're a little big for me."

They had finished eating and were now just getting ready to go it was about eight thirty, the two of them were upstairs. Kale and Kershala had each showered and Kale had gotten dressed in the only clean clothing he had left. He had taken the clothing out for Kershala to wear, a pair of tearaway pants and a larger sized hoodie he'd often wear. He picked it up and went to the bathroom.

"Hey, Kershala, here's those cloths I was talking about." Kale walked into the bathroom to see him standing looking out the window fully in the nude. "Oh man, sorry," Kale turned his back to Kershala quickly his heart racing. "Put the towel around your waist!"

"Forgive me," Kershala grabbed the towel from the counter top, "I did not mean to offend you."

"It's not that," Kale stuttered, "not at all. You should just warn me if you have no cloths on?" Kale wasn't sure how to explain modesty to an alien. He turned around and handed Kershala the outfit and left the room. Luckily there were no neighbors to worry about offending. Kershala stepped out of the bathroom fully dressed. Kale threw him a pair of his older slip on running shoes. "Put these on too."

"I am ready to go."

"Okay then." Kale exhaled and headed down the steps, Kershala followed close behind him. "She should be here any minute." Kale checked his phone and looked at the screen and texted Miranda.

 _I've got a friend with me, just so you know. He just lost a lot of his family in an accident and I thought it'd be good for him to get away for a few days. So if he's a little quiet …_ Kale typed quickly, hoping to get it to her before she got there. He realized he probably should have told her he had a friend along with him if nothing else than to avoid the first awkward few moments when they got into the car. He never got anything back from her but could see that the text had been delivered. It wasn't long before he could see her silver colored compact hatchback pulling into the yard. He and Kershala went out onto the patio and Kale locked the door. As he approached the car he could see that she hadn't noticed Kershala yet and was checking her phone. She looked out the window to see both of them and her eyes changed to that of surprise at seeing Kershala. The window rolled down on the passenger side as they approached the car.

"What's up buddy! Get in!" she called. Kale looked at Kershala who met his eyes, he looked down at the handle to the door and lifted it to open it. Kale hoped Kershala would see that he was showing him how to work the door. He lifted the latch and opened the door, he got in the car, Kershala did the same with no issue. "Who's your buddy?" She smiled at Kale and looked back at Kershala in the back seat.

"This is Kershala," Kale decided making up a name would be a stupid idea, it sounded foreign enough to stop any inquiries she might have about its origins. Kale wasn't really sure what else to say to her.

"I'm Miranda, good to meet ya."

"It is nice to meet you too," Kershala smiled and nodded at her.

"I'm guessing you're not from around here, that's quite the accent." Miranda turned around and put the car in reverse starting to pull out of the yard.

"He grew up in Kenya he's been in the city a few years though. We only met a few months ago." Kale hoped that the darkness of the night would at least conceal some of the doubt he was sure was on his face. Miranda looked at Kale from the corner of her eye. He could tell she believed him, but he knew she was going to come out with something that would likely embarrass him.

"And he's just here to, "keep you company". I know what that means," she laughed.

"Don't do that, that's not funny. Don't embarrass us in front of my new friend," Kale was sarcastic in tone, but he was serious. "Let's go get something to drink."

"Where do you think I'm headed, fool." The car had whipped around and they were driving on the route into town. "So, what really brings you here, Kershala? Are you after my boy here?" Kale could feel the color flush from his face with embarrassment.

"I am not sure I know what you mean," Kershala hesitated, "I am not after anyone."

"Awe well that's a shame," she slapped Kale on the knee abruptly, "Well better luck next time I guess buddy."

"Christ women would you stop it," Kale laughed, and Miranda joined in. Kershala stayed quiet in the back but Kale could see a smirk on his face from the rearview mirror in the light from the dash board.

"So, Kershala? That's a pretty name what does it mean?" A question that Kale was interested in the answer to as well given their situation.

"Where I come from…" Kershala hesitated, "My name means loyal warrior." After the simulation Kale had seen the warrior side of Kershala, the loyalty was present in his dedication to his family.

"That's cool. Kale where did you guys meet anyway. I can't believe you've never even talked about him before this. Considering what he looks like anyway." Miranda laughed clearly happy with herself at her comments.

"We met at work," Kale didn't feel the need to give any more details. Kale worked in security, so he would meet a lot of different people and Miranda knew this. It wasn't long before they were pulling into the drive through. The restaurant was only open for drive through, so the parking lot was empty, they could see a couple employees moving around behind the counter through the windows. The car pulled up to the order box of the drive-through.

"Hey guys, just be the regular orders tonight?" The worker was someone that served them often even though Kale didn't know her name. It was someone Miranda knew quite well.

"Yes, and we have someone else with us tonight," Miranda turned to Kershala, "What're you having hon?" Kershala looked dumbfounded not expecting the question.

"Just get him what I get, he's not really a Tim's guy," Kale explained glancing back at Kershala.

"Okay," Miranda turned back to the window, "Add a second tea to that."

"$6.86 See you at the window." With that Miranda brought the car around the building to the drive through window. The women passed the drinks out to Miranda in a tray and she passed them to Kale.

"Is it my turn or yours?" asked Kale. Not remembering who had paid last. They usually alternated.

"I'll get it don't worry. It'll be debit girly." The young women held up the card reader and Miranda held her card out to it. With a quick beep it was over. "Thanks baby we'll see you later!"

"Have a good night guys, drive safe," the attendant shut the window and Miranda pulled out of the parking lot. Kale took his tea from the drink tray and gave Miranda the double-double before passing back the tray to Kershala.

"Careful, it's really hot. Give it a little bit of time to cool," Kale advised.

"Thank you." Kershala took the drink from Kale's hand and it was indeed quite hot. He could tell the beverage was safe with a quick scan from his implant, but it would be too hot to drink for some time. He watched Kale and Miranda's interaction he could tell that Kale was nervous with him being around his friend. He wasn't sure what to think of Miranda, she was different than Kale, she was human, she had black hair and an almost ochre skin tone that made her look different. She had very rigid facial features with a strong nasal ridge and jaw bones and her eyes were a very dark brown compared to Kale's which were almost as blue as the planet he lived on. Kershala looked out the window and watched the buildings passing by. They appeared to be in a business district of some sort. He could tell by the signage and lay out that most of these buildings were not homes but shops of different variety.

"Park at the high school?" Miranda asked.

"Yeah why not. Good place to sit for a chat," Kale responded. The vehicle started to slow down as they pulled into a lot that was lit from overhead by an electric light. They found their spot and Miranda shut the car off and pulled out her phone. Kale did the same.

"So, you weren't sick for very long any idea what got you?" she asked her finger sliding over the screen of her phone.

"Yeah I don't know what it was. It might have just been something I ate that day." Kershala knew that Kale wasn't being truthful, he hadn't been sick.

"Jesse and I went out to that meteorite spot and found a bunch of strange dust all over the place. I've never seen anything like it before," she explained. Kershala knew that the dust she saw was a residue that the nanites left behind once they self-destructed. It would become un-recognizable very quickly once exposed to the elements.

"That's so weird I wonder what it was from." Kershala took a sip of his drink, it wasn't what he expected at all though it was cool enough to drink. It was sweeter than he expected but just a little bitter as well, he enjoyed it.

"You're awful quiet back there." Miranda looked at him in the small mirror that sat above the dashboard and smiled at him welcoming.

"Sorry," Kershala apologized, "I did not really know what to say." Kershala didn't want to appear to out of place. "The dust is very strange. Maybe the meteorite turned to dust when it hit the atmosphere." Miranda acknowledged his explanation with a nod and lip curl.

"Good thought." She looked down at her phone. "Kale did you see that status Janey posted this morning?" Kale looked down at his phone and scrolled through it a bit.

"No, but I bet I know what its about. Did she lose her kids again?" Kale shook his head.

"Yes, can you believe she keeps getting them back? You'd think three times would make it solid." Miranda took a sip of her drink. "Those poor babies I can't even imagine how confused they must be. They're going to be so messed up."

"I know, and they're just getting to the age where they're going to know exactly what's going on." Kershala only partly understood the concept of what they were talking about.

"That is very sad," he said. Kale looked turned and looked at him clearly worried about his reaction. "I feel for what they will go through." Kershala pushed the image from his head to avoid an over-reaction.

"Holy shit," Miranda spoke urgently looking closer at her phone. "Shayla Grant's house is on fire!"

"What really?" said Kale, "Let me see." Kale edged closer and looked at her phone.

"Her sister just posted a picture of it on Facebook. Her kids are still in the house."

"Let's go check it out, we might be able to help them," Kale put his seat belt on and sat his drink in the holder next to Miranda's. She quickly started the vehicle and pulled out onto the road. Kershala felt the vehicle shift and his drink spilled a bit onto him.

"It's only a few streets over," said Miranda. Kershala could tell she was intent on her actions seeing the tension in her hands on the steering wheel. They came to the bottom of the street of their destination and they could see the light from the fire breaking through the darkness of the sky behind the street lights. There were also people standing out in front and a vehicle with flashing blue and red lights on top of it. They pulled up to the end of the yard and stopped. Miranda and Kale both got out of the car, Kershala watched as they were approached by a younger woman. He watched as they exchanged words before embracing several people seemed to come from the yard and approach. Kale looked around before beckoning to Kershala. He got out of the vehicle and approached the small group of people. A couple of them glanced at him he seemed to be eliciting an alarmed reaction. "Where the hell is the fire department?" Miranda seemed angry. A larger older man approached from the vehicle with the flashing lights. He was dressed in a uniform and Kershala could see that he was likely a member of law enforcement.

"They're on their way, Miranda but they're coming from forty-five minutes away."

"My children are in there!" cried the women who approached them when they arrived. Kershala could feel an encroaching helplessness from the crowd. There was a child's scream, and everyone went silent quickly turning toward the building. They watched as the entrance to the structure collapsed. Kershala took a deep breath feeling the sadness fall over the people around him, he knew too well the helplessness they were feeling. Kershala made up his mind and started walking towards the building, his skin was naturally resistant to high temperatures, so the flames would likely not do any major damage.

"Kershala what are you doing?!" called Kale.

"Hey! You can't go in there!" shouted the officer. Kale ran up to Kershala and grabbed him by the arm.

"I will not watch this again! They are helpless, I am not…" Kershala pulled from Kale's hand and kept going quickening his pace. He heard heavy foot falls behind him he was sure the larger man was about to attempt to stop him. He peered over his shoulder to confirm his suspicion before he took to running. The larger man quickly fell behind him and he arrived at the blockage from the collapse.

"Kershala don't go in there!" he heard Kale call from behind him. Kershala put his hand up to the fire he could tell by the color it wasn't burning so hot as to cause damage to him without direct contact. He looked up and down the structure trying to find a weak point, his implant feeding information directly to him about his surroundings. Kershala looked to his left to where there didn't seem to be any external flames he approached the side of the building and touched the wall. It was hot to touch and there would be fire on the other side. A quick analysis from his implant told him there were no structurally relevant supports here. He drew back his arm and landed a fist against the wall as hard as he could his fist went straight through the building. He grabbed onto the edge of the hole he created and pulled his arm back through creating a hole for him to force his way through. The clothing he was wearing was now on fire he patted it out with his free hand before quickly entering the building.

As he stepped inside the building he stopped and listened for several seconds, above the flames he could hear a child sobbing. He closed his eyes briefly homing in on the sound and he was able to determine that it was above him. He began moving with haste through the house searching for the way upstairs. Luckily, he had seemingly entered through the living area and the stairs were not far away. Ensuring he was light on his feet he bounded up the steps hoping the structure hadn't decayed enough under the flame to still support his body weight. At the top of the stairs the fire was worse, the flames devouring the walls and ceiling. There was black smoke resting just above chest level, Kershala tapped the implant behind his ear and his helmet formed around his head. He could tell the nanites were weak as the smoke seemed to be getting through slightly, but they would get him through. He stayed low and moved forward with caution toward the crying sound. He could tell it was likely in the last room and unfortunately there was plenty between him and there. He crept along and came to the door. He put his hand on the knob the hot metal was almost hot enough to cause damage it would not move. He quickly decided he did not have time to wait he kicked the door only hard enough to knock it down. There was a scream in fear from the corner at the sound. Kershala could see a youngling cowering in the corner with a small plush animal in her hand. He approached her quickly and extended his hand. She looked up at him fearful when he realized his helmet was probably scaring her. The helmet retracted to the back of his head revealing his face to her.

"It is okay, I am here to save you," Kershala smiled at her hoping to comfort her. She cried out and threw her arms around him. With ease he lifted her and kept one arm around her. "Hold on tight young one." He knew he had to get her out of the building fearing that she may have already inhaled too much smoke.

"My brother is still in his crib." The little girl spoke quietly in his ear.

"I have to get you outside, where is he?" Kershala looked around fearing the structure wasn't going to last much longer as he heard something crash down elsewhere in the house.

"Mommy's room," she cried. "Downstairs." Kershala shielded the little girl with his body and crashed through the window, he was air-born and luckily it was in the back of the house that he would land. He hit the ground with the little girl in his arms and quickly ran back into the building, crashing through the back door. He stopped for a brief second to listen for sounds of crying from around him but there was nothing. He decided he didn't have time to be careful, he pushed himself through one wall after another causing his exits to seal behind him. He came to a room with a large bed in it, admittedly he didn't really know what a crib was to find what he was looking for. The bed was completely engulfed in the flames and there was not much left to it. His implant scanned the room for signs of life, a small heartbeat in the corner it was getting faint. Kershala glanced in the direction of the life sign, there was a small wooden framed bed that had partially fallen over. He rushed to the side of it. He could see what appeared to be a newborn youngling laying on the floor. It was seemingly covered in black dust from the fire. Kershala quickly took it into his arms. Its heartbeat was faint he knew it needed to get out of the fire and into better air.

"Hang on little one, your mother wants to see you again," he whispered. He looked again at his surroundings, the child lay silent in his arms and there was no way out. He walked over to the wall and put his hand to it. There was an unusual amount of structural strength in this area, Kershala didn't know if he had the strength to break through it without both hands free. He turned again when the structure above him gave out. He covered the child with his body luckily only a couple of boards fell but he felt the garment he was wearing catch fire. He bounded from the fire and using his free arm ripped the cloth from his body and threw it to the fire. There was no easy foreseeable way out of the building. Kershala knelt to keep them both out of the fire and to regain a bit of his strength. He was starting to realize he hadn't completely recovered from the crash. He looked around looking to his implant to give him a way out. It scanned the room feeding him information about the temperatures and smoke but also it found a weak point through the closet he hadn't been able to see. It was otherwise engulfed in flame and he would likely get at least residual burns from the damage, he worried about the infant, but he was confident he could get through it quick enough to not take any severe damage. Kershala summoned strength from somewhere within himself and shielding the infant he ran through the flames and crashed through the wall beyond it. From there he could see a large window he quickly ran and jumped through it. He hit the ground and immediately the cold night air hit him. He checked the infant in his arms and could see that it was breathing, likely shaken a bit from what they had just been through. He could see the little girl standing where he left her, when she saw him she came running to him.

"Oh, thank you Mister." She threw her arms around his neck and as he rose from his kneeling position she held onto him he put his free arm around her. He felt her warm tears against his skin as he started walking back around the house. His helmet retreated to his implant as he came around the corner of the house.

There were now several large red and white vehicles with lights flashing all over them. As soon as Kershala and the children were visible both Kale and the children's mother ran to them. Kershala could see the desperate look in the mother's face as she approached them. He recognized the look as he had seen it in his Karu's face many times after he returned from battle. He could feel the tears welling in his eyes as he looked at her. Joy, in that one more family wouldn't be torn apart tonight.

"Oh my god, thank you so much," she put her hands on her daughters face then touched Kershala's face. "Oh baby, come here." She took the little girl from his arms and looked at the baby. "Is he okay?" Kale ran up to them with an urgent look on his face and a garment in his hands.

"He is breathing. I think the smoke may have hurt him though," Kershala explained. The fire fighters came and took the baby from him. Kale walked beside him as they headed back to the side of the road, he stayed silent but Kershala could tell that he was worried. "I had to do it Kale. I am sorry."

"Your markings," Kale whispered, he threw Kershala the garment in his hand and he put it on quickly. It was quite tight compared to the last one. "I already talked to Miranda just get in the car and we will go back to the house." As they walked toward the vehicle the children's mother approached them again. The children were being looked at by a couple of the men from the new vehicles that had arrived Kershala could see them by the road.

"They're going to be fine," she said standing in front of him. She looked up at him her eyes stained red from tears and worry. "You saved my children's lives and I don't even know your name," she breathed. Kershala was happy that the children would be okay.

"My name is Kershala," he smiled at her subtly. "I am glad I could help." The women put her arms around his waist her grip was tight. At first Kershala didn't know what to do, he glanced at Kale who gave him the motion to do the same back to her.

"Thank you, Kershala." The women pulled back from him before reaching up and touching his face gently. She smiled at him again before walking away pulling her jacket around her. Kershala began walking to the vehicle again with Kale a couple of steps ahead of him.

"No human could have done what you did, I can't believe you ripped a whole in the wall," said Kale quietly. They arrived at the vehicle, Miranda was already sitting in the driver's seat waiting on them. She looked at them as they approached with a beaming smile on her face. She didn't say anything until they got into the vehicle. Most of the officers and other servicemen seemed occupied with the children and their mother. Others were using water to douse the flames.

"Man, I've heard of adrenaline, but I've never seen no man rip a wall off a house before. That was incredible!" Miranda exclaimed as she started the vehicle. "How didn't you have any burns." Kershala sat back in the vehicle and took a mouthful of the drink Kale had ordered for him.

"If you do not mind, I would prefer not to speak." Kershala sat back in the seat and sunk into himself, the exertion did prove to be too much once he had calmed down.

"Suit yourself, friggin hero man." Everyone in the car stayed quiet until they were pulling into the driveway. Kershala sat with his eyes closed and his hands around his drink when he felt the vehicle stop. "Well that was a pretty eventful coffee run," Miranda laughed.

"Yeah well, we get an exciting one every now and then," said Kale agreeing with her.

"Will I see you guys again before you go back to the city?" Kale and Kershala both started to get out of the vehicle.

"I'm not sure, I've got some cleaning up to do before she gets back. I told her the house would be clean before I left."

"Okay, well if not, next time as always." Miranda rolled down the vehicle windows as they shut the doors. The light from house reacted to their movement coming on brightly.

"For sure."

"It was awesome meeting you, Kershala." Miranda looked at Kershala and her expression changed from a smile to a confused expression. "Man, what color are your eyes?"

"Yeah that's a birth mark of his. They're purple," Kale responded quickly. Kershala thought briefly that he must have had that in his head for a while to come out with it so quickly.

"Weird, that's cool though. Anyway, like I said great to meet ya."

"It was nice to meet you as well, Miranda." Kershala smiled back at her.

"Alright, I'm outta here! Night boys play safe." Kale smiled at her words and Kershala assumed there was an inside meaning as she pulled the vehicle out onto the road and sped off. They both stayed quiet as they walked into the house.

As they stepped in the house Kale took his shoes off and sat down at the table. Kershala sat across from him and they sat in silence for a few seconds. Kale was looking over his phone and Kershala couldn't help but feel that he had done something wrong.

"I am sorry, if I worried you," said Kershala quietly. Kale looked up from his phone and sat it face down on the table.

"I just…" Kale paused as if collecting his thoughts, "Look I can't tell you what to do and I won't try to but, you have to be careful. You realize if you get hurt and need serious medical attention that there is no one here that can give it to you? Like if you get hurt and end up in a hospital they could find out that you're not human, ahh," Kale grunted, "Look you clearly don't need anyone's protection, I've seen you fight. I know you can take care of yourself and it's weird but for some reason I've gotten really attached to you over the last few days. I don't know why but I have. I just don't wanna see anything happen to you." Kale paused again but Kershala could tell there was more. "What you did tonight was awesome, Miranda was right you're a hero to those kids. But you need to think of yourself and the consequences. Humans are used to thinking they're the only ones in the galaxy, there are some that assume the truth and would be thrilled to know you exist, but others will fear you and some may even try to imprison you." The implant told him that Kale's heartbeat was racing, Kershala stood up and Kale stood up to block him, clearly assuming that he was going to walk away. Instead Kershala put his arms around him before he said anything more. Kale almost seemed stunned at the gesture. Most of the Daora enjoyed physical contact and this was the typical end to an argument among his family. Though he wasn't entirely sure if this was even an argument, he wanted to set Kale at ease. Kale hesitantly put his arms around Kershala returning the gesture. "Don't scare me like that anymore, okay?"

"I apologize for worrying you, I did not want to watch another family be destroyed if I could stop it," Kershala explained.

"It's okay, let's just go to bed okay." Kale pulled from the embrace and looked into his eyes smiling gently. Kershala returned the look before Kale picked up his phone before heading up stairs. Kershala followed him up and went to his bedroom for the night.

"You have had an interesting night," Anubis greeted him quietly.

"Yes." Kershala stripped out of the clothing Kale had given him and laid down on the bed on his back, he lay staring at the ceiling. The AI core is next to him on the table.

"Interesting, they use a physical and digital currency system." Anubis seemed to be processing the information that had been received throughout the night. The Daora had long abandoned any form of physical currency. The need for wealth had long passed from their society. Before the Shiron came along if they wanted or needed something they had it amongst their own people, the Shiron took that from them along with many other things.

"I found it strange."

"Your body is still not fully healed you need to be careful. I'm still detecting strain, your neck and the stab wound has not completely healed internally."

"I will try to rest more in the coming days."

"You should spend the day in the sun tomorrow, it would do you well." Kershala closed his eyes not really wanting to have any further discussion about the nights events. As he lay there falling asleep his mind turned to that of his family. He recalled the way his younger siblings would stealthily crawl into his dwelling at night, he'd often wake up with them laying up against him or with their arms wrapped around him. As he closed his eyes he could almost feel his Matriarch's hand on his face wishing him a good slumber.


	4. Chapter 4

Kale opened his eyes to a sound somewhere in the room, he was groggy at first when he reached for his phone expecting to see the dog had jumped up on the bed. The screen on his phone lit up as he touched it reading 3 am. There were a couple messages from Miranda he didn't bother to open instead turning on the flashlight and shining it around the room. Kershala was standing in front of the windows that looked over his bed. Kale was startled at first but in the light from his flashlight he could see that Kershala was just looking out into the moonlit yard wearing only the underwear he had on when he found him. Kershala stayed quiet as he sat up.

"Kershala what are you doing?" he asked the sleep still present in his voice. He could hear him take a deep breath when he turned around. Kale pointed the light down at the bed, so he wouldn't shine it in Kershala's eyes, but he could still see that he was distraught. "Are you… okay?" Kale spoke slowly not sure what else to say.

"I … want you to … see," Kershala's voice was shaking as he spoke, and Kale was starting to think there may be something seriously wrong. He got out of the bed throwing the blankets to the side and moved to stand next to Kershala. He sat the phone on the window sill the light still shining on the ground.

"What do you want me to see?" he asked. Kershala looked down and took Kale's hand in his and brought it up to the side of his face.

"Do not be scared."

"I'm not." Kale felt the wet skin as Kershala moved his hand back to the implant. Kershala's face strained slightly as Kale's fingers grazed over the implant before he placed his head firmly against his hand. There was a strange buzzing sensation that seemed to travel up his arm like the feeling of when your arm falls asleep. Kale watched as the markings on Kershala's body began to glow faintly starting at his legs and slowly traveling up the length of his body. Markings on his neck seemed to lead right into the implant but had not been visible before. As the glow reached the implant there was a sudden ringing in Kale's ears followed by discomfort and eventually a great pain in his head. There was a flash in the darkness and suddenly the discomfort was gone. Kale had closed his eyes under the strain and felt as though he was floating in a void. There was a sudden rush of fear come over him though he didn't quite understand why.

"Kershala… you … hear me!" There was a voice Kale recognized as Kershala's Matriarch from the hologram.

"Karu… Can you… away… them." The voices were broken up and the sentences didn't seem to make sense although Kale could still get the overall picture from them. It was like listening to something from a bad radio signal.

"Son… match … for them… kill you… watch … children die." The voices seem to move closer and farther from him rapidly, making the broken sentences even harder to grasp. The fear intensified, and Kale could feel himself breathing heavily, he couldn't open his eyes or move himself. He likened the feeling to sleep paralysis something he hadn't felt in a long time. The darkness he had been floating in began to be replaced by actual surroundings, everything around him was blurry to the point he could barely make out where he was. He recognized it as Kershala's ship, he could see that they were in orbit of a planet and could almost make out several masses visible through the front window.

"Foolish…" This voice of a man, it seemed closer and Kales heart began racing at the sound of it. "Family… die too. Begged me for mercy… worthless bloodline!"

"Please," Kershala's voice came through clear and fully audible, "take me in their stead, are an old woman and a few children really a danger to you?" A feeling of hope rushed him pushing the anxiety aside. "Spare them and I will come willingly!"

"Kershala… have all of us… you too…" The Matriarchs voice again desperation in her plea.

"You … becomes clear…" the dreaded voice again, "… youngling patriarchs… some right to … failed my mission…" The hope had now been retaken by the fear and Kale's heart was sinking in his chest.

"Love you… my son… ultimately ours!"

"Karu, I…" Kale could see a glaring beam of light travel between two of the objects as the light engulfed the smaller object as it did Kale felt like he had been shot in the chest. He was suddenly filled with sorrow and feelings of regret, anger and loneliness. Kale could feel tears falling from his eyes but could not move to wipe them away.

"Kershala, we have to leave they are almost upon us." Anubis's voice was clear as well. Kale could feel a sudden pain in his side, he looked down to see violet blood flowing from it. Everything went black and there was tightness around his chest.

Everything went quiet and suddenly Kale was back in the bedroom with the moon shining in on him and Kershala. He was gazing into Kershala's eyes he could still feel the emotions flooding through him, the sorrow, fear and loneliness was like nothing he had ever experienced it was so intense. He felt tears flowing from his eyes, the glow from Kershala's body slowly fading, the light of the moon enough to see that Kershala's tears fell as well. Kale cried out feeling his legs go weak under him as he was taken over by the sorrow. Kershala held him and they sat on the bed together. Kale threw his arms around the other man's waist and cried into his chest. He had never experienced the feeling of sadness quite like this before. His chest was tight, and it was hard for him to breath anxiety seemed to grip him from somewhere he couldn't actually see. He felt Kershala's chest jumping with him as he undoubtedly experienced these emotions all over again. But Kale also felt his strong arms around him and a hand rubbing the back of his head. Kale didn't know how long they sat together like this when he finally had the strength to pull back from Kershala's encirclement. He beheld Kershala in the eyes and placed a hand on his cheek he brushed away the tears that were still wet before putting his arms around his neck.

"What was that?" he whispered in Kershala's ear.

"That was my heart," said Kershala, "and the day that it was broken."

"It was so real how could I feel everything?" asked Kale. "It wasn't like before, with Anubis. I could see everything but with this I… I felt everything." Kale sat back with his knees under him looking at Kershala who took his hands.

"The, Jadak'tora. It is a sharing of memories often used to show children memories of their passed loved ones. Emotional transference is a side effect sometimes, but it is usually not this strong with other Daora," Kershala explained. "You felt what I felt, as I felt it." The explanation made sense to Kale, the Daoran emotional spectrum was more intense and now he had experienced it firsthand.

"I'm sorry, Kershala. What a terrible thing to go through." They were both silent for a few seconds Kale looked down at their hands then back to Kershala's face. "Why could I only hear part of their words. I could hear everything you were saying like I was saying it myself?"

"Between the pain of my wound and translating my memories to your language some parts were lost. I could not reproduce the entirety of it. And… I have never hosted before."

"That man's voice. When he spoke I felt how scared you were? Who was he?" Kale could still feel the fear residing in his mind, though it had started to fade. Kershala began to look uncomfortable.

"That is," he paused. "the monster the Shironian Empire assigned to destroy my family line."

"We don't have to …"

"Baraketh," Kershala interrupted as if he had a hard time saying the word. His breathing sped up as they were silent Kershala turned to face the window. "He has done awful things to my family." There was clear panic in Kershala's voice as he spoke.

"It's okay, calm down." Kale touched the back of his hand to Kershala's face to bring his attention back to him. "He's galaxies away from here." Kershala's breathing calmed as Kale touched him.

"Do you," Kershala paused and looked away as if embarrassed he exhaled, "mind if I stay in here tonight. I do not wish to be alone." Kershala spoke softly Kale hesitated. "I can sleep on the floor." Kale's hesitation was rooted in his attraction for this man, he had no idea if the physical contact was just how the Daora were with each other or if the feeling was shared. Typical human masculinity would forbid this type of behavior between two men who were only friends. The culture he was brought up in was telling him that this was something people did if they were more than friends.

"It's okay, you can stay in here." Kale watched as Kershala crawled into bed on the opposite side from where he slept. A few seconds later he followed him crawling under the blankets. Kale laid his head on his pillow and it wasn't long after he felt Kershala shift toward him and put his arm around him.

"Thank you, Kale." Kale smiled to himself, he was never the little spoon.

"Okay big guy change it up." He sat up and turned to face Kershala who he could see was confused from his expression under the soft light of the moon. "I'm never the little spoon. Face the wall!" he jokingly ordered. Kershala caught the light heartedness in his tone and listened to him. "Good now bring it in." Kale laid back down behind him and tightly put an arm around Kershala's chest. They laid like this for a short few seconds before Kershala took his hand. He could tell he felt secure as it seemed within seconds Kershala had drifted to sleep. A sudden exhaustion triggered in Kale and he shortly joined him.

Kale opened his eyes and instantly felt a pain throbbing in his head. The sun was shining in on him through the window not making the pain any worse. He had the worse migraine he had ever had, he slowly sat up keeping his eyes squinted and felt as though the room was spinning. He felt sick to his stomach and quickly laid back down to hopefully dispel the feeling. He put the pillow over his head to block the light from the room and felt next to him for Kershala. He was still laying there, fast asleep.

"Kershala, wake up. Somethings wrong," he struggled between words to speak the pain becoming worse as he spoke. He grasped at Kershala's chest shaking him to waken him. "Kershala please wake up." Kale had never felt pain like this before and was starting to worry that something had gone wrong from last night. He could feel movement next to him as Kershala shifted, he could feel him sit up.

"Kale, what is wrong?" Kershala was still groggy from the sleep.

"I don't know, my head is hurting. I… ah." Kale cried out in agony. "My head is hurting, it's so bad." Kershala removed the pillow from Kale's face and he could feel Kershala's hand on his face. It calmed him that at least he wasn't alone but only slightly. "Block the light." Kershala jumped from the bed and through a black blanket over the window, blocking most of the light.

"The Jadak'tora, it must have done something. My inexperience it…" Kershala left the room and came back shortly.

"There's some pain killers in the bathroom cabinet can you bring them to me with some water? They're in a white and blue bottle." he asked. Kershala sat the AI core on the table across from the bed and left the room again.

"Kershala should not have performed the Jadak'tora I suspect this is a side effect from the neural invasion that takes place. A Daoran brain would have been fine, but a human, I am surprise it even worked across species," explained Anubis. Kershala came back in the room with a glass of water and the bottle in hand. He helped Kale sit up slowly and gave him the glass.

"I am sorry Kale, I did not know another way to convey my emotions," Kershala apologized.

"It's okay," Kale took a sip of the water as Kershala passed him two tablets from the bottle and sat it down. He took the pain killers with a mouthful of water.

"There may be permanent damage. I am going to scan your brain Kale. I need you to look at me and keep your eyes open. It will not take me long." Kale looked at Anubis and the lenses facing him began to shimmer. It was hard with his head aching to keep his eyes open, resisting the urge to look away. Narrow beams from the AI core came into contact with Kales eyes and swept back and forth several times. The beams dissipated, and Kale took a deep breath and leaned his head back feeling strained and still nauseous. "Your cerebrum is strained but nothing that should last beyond a few hours. It would seem you already slept a good deal of it away." Kale sighed in relief.

"Good so my brain's not broken."

"Kershala, this was very irresponsible of you. You could have done serious harm to him," the AI scolded. Kershala put his head down and looked at Kale from under his brow. "You should have come to me for guidance in performing the Jadak'tora. This can be found in my archive."

"Anubis, it's okay. I think he gets it. I'll be okay in a little while; the pain killers are already working a little bit." Kale lied slightly, he couldn't feel them working yet but with no permanent damage he couldn't help but think the discomfort was worth it if it brought him and Kershala closer. "I'll stay in bed for a bit and then we have to clean up. My grandmother is getting home tomorrow, and I'd like to be on the road before she gets here." Kale sighed thinking of everything that he wanted to get done before he left and was wondering that if he slept would he have time to do it. Dishes, laundry, some minor yard work cleaning the beds and the bathroom were all things he wanted to get done before he left. "Kershala can you pass me my phone?" Kershala got up and took the phone from the window sill where he sat it the night before and gave it to him. He quickly realized that he had forgotten to shut off the light and with it being on all night the battery had died. "Shit. Dead." He reached around behind his bed and grabbed the charge cord plugging it into the phone. He sat it on his counter. "Kershala can you wake me in two hours? I'd set my phone to wake me but it's dead."

"I will stay here with you. I would like to sleep some more. Anubis will wake us." Kershala crawled back into his place in the bed and Kale sank down in his position and closed his eyes.

Sure enough, Kale awoke to Kershala lightly nudging him and the timing was practically exact. He sat up slowly not sure what to expect and put his feet on the floor. Luckily, he was no longer in pain but, he didn't feel good, he likened the feeling to a hangover.

"How do you feel?" asked Kershala sitting next to him on the bed.

"Better, it doesn't hurt anymore at least," Kale drank what was left in the glass of water, "still feels like I had a hell of a night though." Kale stood up and felt dizzy but only for a moment.

"You should take it slow, we still don't know what other side-effects you may encounter," cautioned Anubis. Kale stepped out into the hallway.

"I'm okay. Just a little dizzy. I feel like I drank a gallon of whiskey last night though. Shit. Thinking a shower will make everything a little better." He walked into the bathroom and started the water running. He looked out the window, looked like another good day outside, likely a little warm. He went back to the bedroom and grabbed some clothing from his luggage and his phone from the end table unplugging it. He touched his finger to the print reader and it opened. He had several notifications from Miranda on his phone as well as a few Facebook notifications. He opened the text messages first. Some of them were from right after she dropped them off at the house others were some from throughout the late hours of the night and a few were from this morning. "Jesus women when do you sleep?" Kale walked back into the bathroom and Kershala laid back on the bed.

 _So, are you two a thing? It's been a really long time since you found a boy who caught your eye._ Kale rolled his eyes. She was right, but he was choosing to ignore that line of questioning. _Did you check Facebook tonight? People were taken pics of that fire and there's a really cute one of Kershala holding those kids._ Kale opened his Facebook and scrolled through his timeline the notifications he had were of Shayla's sister posting pics of Kershala online and tagging Kale in them. _This is our hero of the night ladies and gentlemen. We don't even know his name._ The picture was captioned by Shayla's sister and had two hundred likes already. Kale smiled to himself. It was a cute picture, lucky enough the way the children were positioned as well as the photographer Kershala's markings weren't visible in the picture. He went back to the messages and continued through them. _Did you see that pic of what they found at the meteor site this morning?_ Kale thought for a second not sure what would be left to find.

 _No, what'd they find?_ He answered her text then waited a few seconds.

 _Just gonna ignore the rest huh?_ Kale laughed to himself.

 _I got them, I'm just not going to respond to them. Send me that pic your talkin about._

 _Mhm._ He waited for several seconds and when the picture didn't come through, he sat the phone down and got into the shower. The hot water hitting him really woke him up as he stepped under the shower head. He moved through his shower routine fairly quickly not wanting to lose any more of the day and got dressed. He picked his phone back up looked at Miranda's messages she had sent the picture. Someone had taken a live photo of a rock covered in silver and purple metals and Kale knew as soon as he saw it what it was.

"Kershala, take a look at this." He walked in and sat on the bed Kershala sat back up beside him. "Isn't that your armor." Kershala looked at the picture surprised.

"Yes, when the nanites lost power, they fell from my body. Some of them must have repaired themselves," Kershala explained.

"We must retrieve them, Kershala. They are our only defense should we be found again," said Anubis. "They're not connected to me, they may not have fully regenerated after complete shutdown. If you can bring me to them, I should be able to resync them with your implant." Kershala stood up quickly and grabbed the AI core off the table top.

"Are you coming?" he turned to Kale who was still not feeling great, but he had to see this.

"Of course." Kershala slid on the pants he wore from the night before and grabbed the hoodie Kale had given him. "We're going clothing shopping this afternoon." Kale laughed. The clothing fit but he couldn't wear the same thing forever. Even if it did hug him in all the right places. The two of them hurried down stairs and out into the woods towards the crash site.

Kershala ran on ahead of him, Kale found it hard to keep up, still feeling strange from the side effects of taking on the Daoran memories. He trudged the path through the woods to wear he remembered the crash from that first night. It had only been a few days but having so much happen in the last few days made it seem like a distant memory. It wasn't long before he walked into the clearing, Kershala and Anubis had already found the rock and Kale walked over to where they were standing. Sure enough it was the rock Kershala had been laying by when he found him.

"This is where I found you that night."

"Yes, this is where I was thrown out of the ship. The last bit of energy the nanites had was used to absorb the impact. It would have otherwise killed me," Kershala recalled.

"Attempting to resync the nanites with the implant remain still." Kale hadn't noticed that the AI core was sat on a stone nearby. Kershala sat still as the AI's lenses flared to life a pulse of light emanating from them and shimmering over the nanites that were enveloped around the rock. "They're in a state of repair, I do not understand where they found a power source."

"Could they have used the sun?" asked Kershala, "This planet is closer to it's star then most we spend time on." No sooner had Kershala finished his sentence when the helmet activated unannounced.

"It is hard to work through your speculation," the AI sounded irritated. Kershala stayed quiet and Kale bent down to look at the rock covered in the nanites. They didn't appear to be moving nor did they make a sound. It was strange to see them up close after seeing the armor in the hologram. They stayed silent while the AI core scanned the nanites, Kershala seemed to become a statue not moving or even appearing to breath. Kale looked around at their surroundings and started to feel uneasy about the quiet. A lot of people had been coming around the area in the last few days to get pictures. He just hoped that with school being in and people working they'd be safe to get done what they needed to get done. "It would appear as though the nanites of your suit consumed the biomatter left from both your blood and the ships disintegration field to power their core systems. This was enough for them to start the repair process." Anubis continued analyzing the nanites. "It will not be long now."

"How are they able to do that?" asked Kale.

"Daoran nanite technology was developed after the war started. It had to be durable and run for extended periods without maintenance," said Anubis, "They are programmed to resort to extreme measures in extenuating circumstances." Kale went quiet thinking of how these little machines would decide on what an extenuating circumstance was. "I have successfully rebooted the nanites, Kershala extend your arm to begin the reintegration process." The helmet retracted and Kershala did as the AI commanded, Kale watched as the nanites began to stir. Kershala removed his shirt and extended his hand as though waiting for someone to pass him something with his palm up. The nanites began to swirl and peel away from the rock swarming around Kershala's hand and traveling up his arm. It was creepy to see them literally crawling along his skin, though he couldn't see them individually it was like watching a swarm of bugs wrap around a tree. They crawled at a steady pace up his body from his hand to his forearm up his bicep and eventually across his chest and up his neck. He tilted his head back as the nanites crawled over his face and retreated into his implant.

"Quite the show," said Kale, "a little weird to watch though. That doesn't hurt does it?"

"No, it is almost like, hm, a buzzing feeling all over your skin." Kershala put his shirt back on. "When will the suit be fully repaired?"

"I currently have no estimate on full functionality. They will have to produce enough nanites to replicate the bracers and anklets to house the bulk of the suit. Now that they have reintegrated I sense that they are able to accomplish this but cannot tell you when."

"I am just glad we have them back. Shall we go back to the house?" Kershala looked in the direction of the house and started walking. Kale picked up the AI core as he walked by and they headed back to the house.

When they got back to the house Kale insisted on taking Kershala to get some of his own clothing. Kershala was reluctant to go back out into a public place. The previous experience was overwhelming enough, he was used to hiding in plain sight for the most part, but social integration could prove challenging for him. It was not often he would have to interact socially with beings other than his family and the AI, with them there was no fear of making a mistake.

"You can't wear the same cloths forever," said Kale as they climbed into the small black vehicle that had been sitting in the driveway. The vehicle pulled out of the yard and Kale took them back to the main stretch they had been on with the restaurant serving drinks. They drove down the main street and pulled into a parking lot of one of the larger buildings. There were lots of glass windows showcasing colorful sheets of papers with words and numbers on them. Kershala recognized them as advertisements even though they weren't what he was used to. Most of the worlds he had been to in the past and even the Daoran home world had evolved to holographic interfaces and projections. Kale got out of the vehicle and Kershala stepped out with him. "Don't stare at anyone for too long okay. I don't want to have to explain your eyes to everyone." Kershala acknowledged the statement with a nod and the two of them walked side by side into the building. The automatic doors were something Kershala was used to but they were uncomfortably loud.

"They need to fix their doors," he said quietly.

"Yup," Kale laughed. Kershala followed Kale's pace and as they walked he took in his surroundings. He could see a couple of younger women sitting at counters by the exit of the building, they both wore an overshirt that bore the same color scheme as the signs in the window. There otherwise didn't appear to be very many people there. His implant only detecting five other people in the building. The inside of the building was as big inside as it looked outside. The ceiling was high, and he could see what were steel supports running along the length of it in rows, there wasn't much color to speak of aside from the merchandise the walls and floors varying colors of off whites. The merchandise itself sat on a variety of shelves, racks, and other structures. The merchandise was a variety of different items, it didn't really seem to have an overall theme but a theme for each rack. Kershala's implant read several high glucose treats wrapped in packaging that would persist for years on one wrack. Small plastic figurines, some of which looked like humans, others resembled what Kershala would assume were animals local to the planet. Another appeared to have footwear on it then some had some kind of plastic containment units of all different sizes and shapes.

"This place is very confusing, there are so many items here." Kershala picked up one of the plastic figures and looked it over.

"Yeah it's a bit of a mix bag really. They are pretty much the only place here that sells stuff other than food so people get a lot of stuff from here." Kale stopped and looked at him.

"What is this thing? Why does it look human?" he asked.

"It's a toy, Kershala." Kershala shook his head and placed the "toy" back where he found it. A young woman came around the corner startling Kershala.

"Is there anything I can help you find?" she asked him. She looked at him briefly and her expression quickly changed from a smile to confusion as she looked up at him.

"Um, no… thank you," he stuttered and averted his eyes from her.

"We're fine thanks," said Kale. The girl seemed to move herself to follow Kershala's eyes.

"Why do your eyes look like that?" Kershala wasn't sure how to respond, he wasn't used to getting questioned based on his look he couldn't help but feel like the girl was being aggressive.

"It is a birth mark." No matter the direction Kershala looked she followed his eyes until he turned to face Kale.

"Can I take a picture?" Kale stepped passed Kershala placing himself between them.

"No you can't, do you know how rude you sound right now?" asked Kale clearly upset, "I know you're young, but what if he's really conscious of it or something." The girl didn't respond. "We told you, we don't need your help. We will come find you if we do. Leave us alone okay." The girl seem to lose all the color in her face and walked away from them quickly. Kershala could tell that Kale was upset.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Kale turned to him and smiled quickly cooling down.

"Forget it, really nothing, but that was really rude. Let's get some cloths for you and get out of here." They continued walking passed several racks of toys and food and ended up in a section with garments hanging from circular metal racking that lined the walls. "See anything you like?" Kale gestured toward some of the different garments hanging up. Kershala looked them over and picked up a blue colored shirt that seemed to flow long. He had never chosen a piece of clothing based purely on looks alone, his patriarch would likely call it foolish as it didn't appear to offer any real protection from the cold or any combat advantages. He felt slightly guilty for picking it. He always liked blue he could remember having a vest when he was young before he got his nanite suit that was a similar color to the item he held in his hand. "That's a nice color. Bright. Pick a couple."

"This is new to me," Kershala said shyly. "I have never picked clothing based only on appearance before."

"Live a little," Kale laughed. "Pick whatever you want buddy." Kershala looked through the clothing piece by piece there were lots of colors he hadn't seen in a long time. "Need a suggestion?"

"I do not really know what to pick. There are so many." Kershala was frustrated in himself, he was sure this decision didn't require this much thought, but he really didn't know what one to go with. He watched as Kale picked an item from the rack, it was a simple grey color with black thread seemingly etched through it.

"Do you like this one?"

"It is interesting." Kale walked over to him and held it up to his chest.

"Looks like a good fit. Should get some pants to go along with it." Kale passed him the item and walked over to another rack with pants hanging from it. "Get some shorts, and maybe just some decent jeans or something." Kale looked through a couple items on the racks rather quickly as Kershala stood beside him. "You and I seem to have the same waist size, so I'll use that as a basis."

"I will trust your judgement." Kershala felt better just letting Kale make the pick for him, for some reason it was a decision he wasn't comfortable making. Likely because he had never made it himself and he was insecure being in a strange society where he had to hide that he wasn't one of them. Kale held a pair of pants cut short to just below the knees, they were black in color.

"These and…" Kale passed him the item and returned his attention to the rack, "this one." Kershala didn't know initially what Kale meant by shorts or jeans but he was able to get the idea. "That should do it, did you wanna try it on first?"

"I am feeling a little overwhelmed by … this, may we leave?"

"Okay." Kale smiled at him and Kershala could tell he was trying to be reassuring in his actions. After the Jadak'tora Kershala could feel the bond between them had grown substantially, he had never met a member of another race that had been so compassionate to him. Along with his optimism it was refreshing. The two of them approached the counters at the entrance to the building, a young person standing at each of them, one of them the girl that had approached them earlier. Kale deliberately went to the other counter and sat the items in front of her. Kershala watched as the person used a light-based code scanner on each of the items and place them in a plastic bag.

"Did you guys find everything okay?" the attendant asked.

"Yes, thank you," Kale took a small leather packet out of his pocket and pulled out a plastic card.

"That'll be eighty-eight forty." Kale held up the card and nodded at her, she hit a few buttons on the machine in front of her then Kale put his card to the smaller machine to the side. There was a beep before the whole transaction was completed. Kershala was baffled at how many steps there were for such a simple interaction. He had been to market places on other planets with his patriarch before and the transactions were almost fully automated. Payment was made through their implants and almost no words were spoken. "Thank you. Have a good day." The attendant passed the bag to Kale and he gave it to Kershala, as they walked out he pulled his phone out of his pocket.

"Uh-oh, that's not good." Kale stopped just a few steps out the door to the building.

"What is wrong?" Kershala walked up behind him and tried to get a glimpse of what he saw on his phone. A couple of screens flashed as Kale flicked through the applications on his device. A video started to play and Kershala could see himself standing with the nanites swarming him. "What is that?"

"I knew it felt like someone was watching us," said Kale. "Someone uploaded a video of you in the woods earlier." Kershala thought back to when the nanites were syncing.

"My implant would have been tasked to capacity while syncing the nanites, it would not have been able to detect anything," he explained. Kale scrolled through words left by people on the video.

"People are recognizing you from the other night. This isn't gonna be good. They're even posting pictures of you in the comments. It's already been shared a hundred times." Kale started walking back to the vehicle, Kershala following close behind.

"I do not understand what this means, Kale." The two of them got into the vehicle.

"It means that people all over the place are seeing you reactivating those nanites," Kale put his phone down and started the vehicle, quickly pulling out of the parking lot. "And people on this planet have never really seen anything like that before."

"What do we do?" Kershala felt a sudden fear come over him, imagining that this could somehow mean the end to the peace he had been part of over the last short while.

"I already commented on the video and said that it was fake. That I was there. If I report it now I feel like it'll just look like we have something to hide." Kale seemed to be thinking out loud. "We're going to have to leave town tonight. We can clean up the house then get on the road."


	5. Chapter 5

The rest of the day had passed rather quickly, with Kershala's help around the house they had gotten everything done that Kale wanted. They were in his room packing up the rest of his belongings, Anubis' AI core was on the counter next to his phone. Kershala watched as Kale neatly folded up all his clothing and put it in the bag. The two of them had talked throughout the day about different aspects of human culture and what to expect from the city once they got there. Kershala understood a little more about there social interactions and cultural nuances and would hopefully have a better idea of fitting in.

"I think that's everything," said Kale looking around the room and closing his bag. Kale picked up his phone, Kershala assumed he was checking the social media video. "I can't seem to find that video my notifications aren't even there."

"After analyzing your interactions from this afternoon, I have accessed your internet, as you call it," said Anubis, "I have released a program to trace any evidence that Kershala exists, including any pictures or videos, that will target and destroy them."

"You can do that?" Kale looked up from his phone.

"Kale, it is the very purpose of my existence. I was designed to protect and preserve the Daoran royal family from it's pursuers."

"Wait, what?" Kale interrupted.

"Anyone that had these videos or pictures will simply not be able to find them on their devices," Anubis ignored Kale's reaction, "I accomplished this much like the way your devices designers implement software updates. At first I did not deem it necessary as the previous pictures were not incriminating, but I cannot allow video of our technology in action to remain." Kale sat down on the bed seemingly dropping his interest and breathed a sigh of relief.

"I really wish you could have told me that earlier."

"I did not see it necessary," the AI said plainly.

"Do you still want to leave tonight?" asked Kershala. Kale seemed to think for a couple of seconds.

"Yeah let's get the hell outta here, screw it. I've kinda had my fill of home for a little while," he laughed. "I'll leave her a note and then we'll hit the road." Kale stood up taking his bag and they went down stairs Kershala picking up the AI core. Kale filled the dog's food and water dishes and pet him goodbye. Kershala watched him write down a note on a piece of paper he left on the table. They went outside Kale locked the door behind him and they got into the car. Kale started the car and put his phone in a holder on the dashboard. They pulled out onto the road and they were off.

The first twenty minutes or so passed in silence as Kale drove. He glanced at Kershala the light from the dashboard illuminating his features, Kale could see him taking in the scenery. The drive from his home town to the city was very much splattered with countryside. The view mainly consisted of seas of trees divided only by the occasional breaks that would be other towns or smaller cities or even a lake or river now and then. They had spent the afternoon discussing human society and Kale had several questions that he had been burning in him since Anubis showed him the hologram. But the one that had brought on the most curiosity was perhaps the most obvious.

"So… the Daoran Royal Family, eh?" he asked, "Are you a king?" Kale glanced from him to the road, Kershala looked at him somewhat bashfully.

"No, I am too young to ascend the throne…" he answered.

"How old are you anyway?" he asked. Kershala paused and seemed to be thinking to come up with an answer.

"I… do not know… I have never been asked before."

"Kershala is twenty-five solar years old. Kale," Anubis spoke.

"Politicians on your planet are a bunch of old men too I see," Kale laughed and Kershala smiled. "How old do you have to be?"

"It is not fully about how old you are, it is about the time it takes to educate someone to become a viable leader. Usually the eldest child birthed from the most respected Matriarchs or Patriarchs are chosen and the training starts as they ascend passed their grantara," Kershala explained, quietly.

"Fifteen solar years," Anubis filled in the blanks.

"Grantara?"

"I am sorry, some of our words are harder to translate then others. It is as we come of age essentially and finish our training as a warrior." Kale nodded as the translation started to make sense. "Because of the Shiran …" Kershala paused, "I could not be trained in the ways of my family before me, my training had to remain combat focused." They were quiet for several minutes Kale thought he may have struck a poor topic.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"

"It is okay, Kale. I feel that because it is you… I can talk about these things and it does not hurt." Kale reached out and gave Kershala's shoulder a reassuring squeeze then put his hand back to the wheel.

"Can I ask you about your home world?" Kale figured at this point Kershala would stop him if the topic became too difficult to talk about.

"I do not remember much of it. I was only a young child when we were forced from it. But I can remember from Karu speaking about it, that it was a beautiful planet, home in a binary star system with six moons. Because of the two stars it was very warm and humid, covered in jungles and vast oceans. I can vaguely remember watching the two suns set they were called Zarai and Tenaris…" Kershala seemed to light up as he spoke about the planet, clearly reliving fond memories of the planet or his mother, or both. "The cities were vast, the tallest buildings stretched miles into the air I can still remember my room that overlooked the capital of my country…" Kershala's expression changed looking almost troubled. "I can't remember its name, though."

"It was called Shiral," said Anubis.

"It has been so long since I have even thought of these things, Kale," Kershala smiled at him. "Thank you."

"It sounds like a beautiful place." Kershala laughed quietly at the comment catching Kale off guard. "I've never heard you laugh before."

"I have not been able to for a while."

"How far is you're planet from Earth?" Kale asked.

"The star system Yaria is found in, is several hundred light years away, answered Anubis.

"That's crazy how fast are your ships able to go?" Kale thought it would be far but once it starts becoming light years it was unfathomable.

"The fastest Daoran vessels could make the trip inside one of your weeks. But normally it would take several. We have not been back there in years as it is well inside of occupied space," explained Anubis in a rather monotone.

"I can't even imagine, I'd love to see your planet someday."

"I will take you one day," said Kershala being optimistic.

"That is unlikely." The conversation seemed to come to a quiet lull for several moments again. There was a question Kale wanted to ask but didn't want to appear too forward with it. He opened his mouth to speak and took a breath but then stopped before trying again.

"So, is there a lucky would be queen of your people?" he asked.

"I do not understand what you are asking." Kale could feel the blood rushing to his face and was sure he was blushing, he was suddenly thankful it was dark. "Are you okay, your heart is suddenly racing?" asked Kershala.

"Damn implant," Kale laughed to himself, "Um, a mate? Do you have a mate?" Kale exhaled as he waited for the answer.

"I…" Kershala took a breath, "In our royal tradition, we are often paired with the eldest of another family that we are believed to be most compatible with. Though the family that my mate was to be chosen from is believed to have perished a long time ago…"

"We have cultures around the world that practice that," Kale couldn't help but feel a bit of disgust at the notion of marrying someone his parents picked for him, "They call it arranged marriage. What happens if you don't like the person they pick for you? Can you say no?"

"If I may explain," Anubis spoke, "I do not believe your comparison to be equal."

"How so?"

"I have processed a great deal of information on human culture after connecting to your internet. Though it has not always been as such, our more recent history, has often used scientific analysis and algorithms to pair one Daora with another. This is based on scans of their psychology and physiology to determine the pairing. It goes far beyond a benefit of wealth or power for the families that are to be joined." Kale was surprised at the depth but still not quite happy with the explanation.

"Still there's so much that seems to take out of the experience. Falling in love, your first kiss… the first time you feel your heart flutter when you find someone your sure is more than just another person."

"Because the Daoran emotional range runs so deeply, it can sometimes be hard for them to sort their feelings as they come before them. Youth cannot always be trusted to make the right decisions." Kale didn't seem to be making any leeway with Anubis on the topic.

"Kershala have you ever been in love?" he asked.

"I have never had the opportunity to. I have only ever really been around my family until I met you. Outside of my family Kale, you are the closest I have ever been to another being." Kale felt his heart in his throat as Kershala finished his sentence, he wasn't sure how to continue the conversation.

"How do the Daora…" Kale trailed off not really wanting to finish for the fear of being disappointed in the answer. He looked out the side window then back to the road without finishing his sentence.

"How do we what, Kale?" asked Kershala leaning forward in his seat and looking at him.

"How does your culture view a pairing of two patriarchs? Or two men?" he asked. Kershala looked at Kale with surprise in his face.

"Is such a thing strange to you?" he asked. "Two generations ago, my family's Patriarch shared his throne with his mate. A patriarch brought in from another family. They ruled together for many years. They loved each other dearly and they shared their love with their many children."

"It's certainly not strange to me, but some humans not only find it strange but detest it," Kale didn't really know how to process the relief he was feeling so he just kept talking, "Some people would even kill someone for it…"

"That is very sad. I cannot imagine hating someone for something so trivial as who they love."

"Have your people always been accepting of it?"

"It has always just been part of our society, there was nothing to accept," said Kershala. Kale went silent for a few seconds thinking about Kershala's grandfathers having children.

"Wait, you said they had many children? How do your people reproduce? Who carries your children?" Kershala looked at Kale with a questioning look and then looked to Anubis.

"I feel strange discussing this, this is usually something that young children ask …" Kale laughed at the fact that he was having the birds and the bees' conversation with an alien.

"Not gonna lie, I feel strange asking it, but I'm curious. Your society is so different than ours. It sounds awesome."

"In the Daora, both the males and females of our species are capable of carrying children as you understand it, but it is incredible taxing on their bodies," explained Anubis. Kale was starting to have a hard time processing the information he was getting; the idea was so foreign to him. "Because of this Daoran children had a large rate of death in the first year. Some often survived but with severe defects from either being expelled too soon from the parental unit or the parental unit not being able to provide proper nutrition during gestation. This led our scientists to develop technology to render carrying children no longer necessary."

"Why would they not be able to get proper nutrition? Poverty doesn't really seem like a problem for your society. At least not an old one," asked Kale.

"A Daoran with child cannot often eat for the duration of the gestation period, eighteen of your months. Synthetic nutrients were used in the later part of our history before the technology was developed. This is caused by severe acids forming in the stomach and throat it is produced as a by-product of the tissue that slowly dissolves to create the womb and make room for the child which forms on the spinal cord."

"That's crazy, eighteen months? Humans could barely make a few days without food. A pregnant woman would have to eat every day, or her baby would die." Kale couldn't fathom not being physically able to eat, the closest he could come to relating would have been the jaw surgery he had as a child being forced to drink protein shakes for several weeks.

"A lot of Daora didn't make it, the child feeds off nutrients present in the muscle tissue of the parent. This is part of the reason why Daoran musculature is so dense, but if the body is not properly prepped then the child will feed from nutrients present in vital organs this could force the body to shut down. We were going extinct until we were able to develop technology to help. We take genetic tissue and fertilize the healthiest eggs with both and the child is then placed in an artificial womb. Through the genetic engineering the womb also contains tissue from both parents to make the environment as compatible as possible. They are then monitored throughout gestation to ensure they are healthy."

"I'm glad you came up with something. Is that how your siblings were all born Kershala, they were quite a bit younger than you I thought? Was the technology available to you on the run?" Kershala sighed and Kale rethought his words thinking it may not have been a good idea to follow up on.

"My siblings were all born on a Daoran city ship that had been destroyed shortly after the youngest, Lessana was born. We took the technology with us." Kale let the conversation die at that he didn't want to push for too much information about Kershala's family. He turned on the radio and they drove listening to music for about twenty minutes.

"How're the nanites for your suit doing?" asked Kale breaking the silence.

"They have reached a standstill in the repair process, I will have to actively deploy them to make any real progress," Kershala answered, "There is only so much they can do contained in my implant."

"Those nanites are something else. Humans have only really dreamed of such technology."

"Consider yourself lucky that they haven't needed to develop such a weapon." Kale thought this the perfect Segway, he was dying to know more about the suit since he watched the hologram.

"Lucky maybe but I saw what you did in that suit, what was that energy blast you used to throw all those soldiers off you? I couldn't tell if that was the suit or your body."

"That was an electromagnetic burst. The nanites use energy from the planet itself drawn in from the ground. That particular planet had a very strong EM field to draw from making such a thing possible. I do not think I would get such a burst from this planet. At least not as quickly."

"It's pretty friggen cool. You sent them flying. And what about that weapon you threw at the one who shot you? What the hell was that?"

"A radeeko. It is basically a kinetic bomb. Once it hits its target it releases the force contained within it into them and basically blows them apart," Kershala explained nonchalant. Kale couldn't help but notice how easily Kershala discussed his weaponry. He could tell that he was used to talking about this stuff as every day topics. Another sign indicative of his upbringing.

"You really know your stuff."

"I had to, it was life or death, I had to know exactly what to use against my enemy before they knew what to use against me. Combat needs to flow seamlessly and relentlessly when dealing with an enemy such as they Shiron. A second of hesitation could always mean the death of a loved one and that was never an option. My grand Patriarch taught me that in training."

"How long did you train for?" Kale kept his eyes on the road except for to glance at Kershala now and then. He could see a slightly troubled expression on his face.

"I have trained in combat since well before my grantara. Once we started running there was nothing but combat training that was important. I had to be able to protect my family."

"A child shouldn't have to live that way," Kale shook his head at the thought of being a pre-teen and having to fight in a war, luckily something most people in western society didn't have to worry about it.

"I agree. I hoped for that I would live to see the day that my siblings would no longer need their combat training."

"Did you train Tenaris?" asked Kale. He felt bad for constantly bringing the conversation back around to Kershala's family.

"My Patriarch and I both took part in training Tenaris, he was so eager that when my Patriarch wanted to retire for the day, he would ask me to continue with him," Kershala let out a sigh, "He so wanted to help us kill …" Kershala trailed off and was quiet for a moment, Kale began to think he was done when he continued. "His bloodthirst was so strong for someone so young. He was different than I am, he had never known peace. I always feared he fought with the wrong motivations."

"What do you mean?" asked Kale not sure if Kershala wanted to go into detail.

"I fight because I must, to prevent the extinction of my people and their legacy. Tenaris only ever wanted to kill the Shiron, vengeance. People who fight for vengeance are clouded misguided."

"He seemed pretty guided with that blade he was using. How did he get that?"

"I didn't say he wasn't talented, and the blade was given to him by our Karu. It was his first weapon," explained Kershala.

"Isn't it irresponsible to give a kid a weapon like that? What if he had hurt someone he wasn't supposed to?"

"A Daora, would never turn a weapon on another Daora. It is one of our most prevalent laws," said Anubis breaking its silence.

The rest of the trip passed mostly in silence, Kershala could tell that Kale was tired from the trip by the look on his face. They pulled into a large building structure and into an underground space with several cars parked in it. As they got out of the car Kale begrudgingly grabbed his stuff from the trunk and they walked into the lobby. Kershala place the AI core in the pocket of the shorts he was wearing. At one point during their house cleaning Kale had discussed the apartment building that he lived in. Kershala did not know really what to expect, the floor was made of some kind of stone and there was a couple of elaborate paintings on the wall along with a decorative fixture in the corner. There were several doors one leading outside, one that the window was closed over one that Kershala could see led up stairs and two that seemed like a crudely fashioned lift. Kale walked over and hit a button on the wall that lit up to his touch, there was movement from above somewhere.

"It's an elevator, it's safe don't worry," said Kale. Kershala must have had a worried look on his face without realizing it. The machine seemed noisy beeping on the way down as the digital display above the door read what Kershala assumed were floor numbers.

"Are you sure?" he smiled at Kale and a smile was his response as the movement stopped and the door opened to them. Kale stepped in and Kershala followed hesitantly still not fully sure of the lift they were using. As he stepped in beside him, Kale hit a button on the wall one of many, and the doors closed.

"If you ever need to know we are on the fourth floor." The lift started to move again and it wasn't long before the doors opened up. They stepped out into a hallway with many doors that smelled of something cooking. The floor here was different covered with synthetic fibers that were colored brown. There was a small table with a small sitting area just outside of the elevator, there was another elaborate painting of something hanging above it. Kershala's implant could detect life behind all the doors they passed as he and Kale walked through the hallway.

"There are so many people living here."

"I know, generally you barely see any of them though, and the place is pretty well insulated, so you don't really hear them either." They came to a door and Kale stopped taking out his keys. "This is us. 406." Kale stuck his key in the door and turned it they walked into the apartment. It was fairly large and very open. There was a small room to left just as they walked in that Kershala could see some sort of work station set up in. The large open room had two large pieces of furniture and one smaller piece with a couple of large screens on the right wall. A small table sat before them. Immediately right Kershala could see the makings of a small kitchen the black counter tops were clean and reflective. Kale took his sneakers off so Kershala removed his footwear as well his bare feet touching the cold floor. He walked into the main room and look around there was a large glass door that led outside to an overlook and three other rooms. "Man, I'm so glad to be home and to sleep in my own bed tonight. Did you wanna stay up a bit or go right to bed? I have tomorrow off but the day after I'm back to work so let's make it interesting okay," Kale laughed. Kale had told her Kershala all about his job as a security guard at a hotel down town, but he didn't realize that he would be back to work so soon.

"Can I come with you?" he asked.

"No, sorry man, not aloud to bring people along like that. You'll be okay here though. I can show you around tomorrow, get you an extra key to get in, that kinda thing." Kershala nodded not sure how else to respond. "Oh hey, let me show you around the place. Kitchen, living room and bathroom one." Kale pointed to the kitchen and area they were standing in with a smile on his face he also pointed to the small door behind them on the far wall. "That's the second bedroom." Kale walked over and opened the door, it opened to a room with a small two-person bed in it slightly bigger than the one Kershala had been sleeping in. The room was a fair bit bigger as well there were two large windows side by side on the far wall and another door that Kershala assumed would likely be storage. "Then over here is the office." Kale walked back into the living room and to the room that Kershala had noted the work station in. Kershala followed and once inside noted that the room was very small with no windows. There was a small couch on the wall and some pictures hanging that seemed to be paintings of space. "That's my gaming computer, cost me a small fortune but it does everything I want it to."

"Are those paintings of any particular part of space?" asked Kershala not recognizing them from any of the star maps he knew.

"Um, no. A friend of mine painted those for me. She just made them up."

"They're very pretty. Not very accurate though," Kershala admired.

"Yeah that's what we were going for," said Kale enthusiastically. "Just my bedroom left, come see." Kale walked back out into the open room and walked to the last door. Kershala followed him and they walked in. The bedroom was larger than the other with a very large bed centered on the wall there was a couple of the space paintings here as well hung over the bed. There was a bathroom just to the right as he walked in and a large walk in closet on the far wall. A sort of display case sat in the corner where small figurines of all different configurations were displayed, Kershala recalled his oldest patriot had a collection similar when he was a child. Kershala thought briefly about how big this dwelling was.

"This is a lot of space for one person," he said.

"I know, there used to be two people, but she decided that wasn't what was best for her." Kershala could hear a change in Kale as he spoke, something he hadn't displayed before, hurt. "I pay for it all pretty easily for the most part so…" Kale tried to walk passed him and Kershala pulled him into an embrace. "Oh, okay. You wanna hug?" Kale reluctantly put his arms around Kershala and they sat in silence for a moment.

"It just felt like you needed it," Kershala spoke quietly and in a comforting tone.

"Thanks buddy." Kershala felt Kale rub a hand into his hair before giving a final squeeze and pulling back. His heart was racing again Kershala could briefly feel it in his chest during their embrace. "Sweet prince," Kale smiled and ran his hand from his hair across his cheek before letting it fall to his side and turning away. Kershala started to open his mouth to call attention to it but decided to let it pass, he could tell the topic seemed to embarrass him. "Did you wanna stay in my room with me or take the spare?" Kershala thought the answer to the question would be obvious, he rather enjoyed sleeping in someone's arms as it brought him a sense of security he had never felt before.

"I would like to stay with you, if that is okay?" The warmth of another body wrapped around him brought him great comfort.

"Part of me was kind of hoping for it," Kale paused, "but if you don't want to that's okay too, spare room's not going anywhere."

"Kale may I have access to your work station?" The AI's voice was muffled as it spoke from Kershala's pocket. "I wish to use it to study your internet in further detail."

"Sure." Kershala reached into his pocket and removed the core. They walked back to the work space and Kale sat at the desk. He pushed a button on the white and blue box next to him and it whirred to life. They sat the AI core next to it on the desk and the AI scanned the machine. "Once your in there, there's a network of blue tooth speaks around the house you can use to talk to us in any room."

"The hardware is limited but it will provide a clearer window then my current connection."

"What exactly are you looking at on there?" asked Kale.

"I am comparing the data that Daoran scientists collected to your current history and filling in the blanks. If the Daora ever become a scientific society again, it will be useful," explained Anubis.

"Just don't judge me for anything you find out that you don't like about us okay?"


	6. Chapter 6

Kershala woke up the next morning alone in Kale's bed he could smell something cooking and hear sounds coming from the kitchen. He hoisted himself up on an arm and looked around the quiet room. It was mid-morning judging by the light from the windows and as he sat up he realized he was in full body armor except for his helmet. His implant was giving him strange readings from the suit that he didn't know how to interpret as he tried to signal it to retreat into it. He had never seen it completely fail and rebuild itself before. He stood up and walked into the kitchen.

"Hey, are you hungry?" asked Kale he stepped out of the room. Kale had a pan in his hand, Kershala could see that he had cooked eggs and bacon.

"Yes, thank you." Kale turned to face him and gave him a strange look at the sight of the suit.

"Everything okay?" he asked, concern straining his voice.

"I am not sure." Kershala touched his forefinger to his implant to see if he could clear up the readings before going to the work station to speak with the AI. "Why is the suit activated? What are these readings telling me?"

"I activated it once I could tell that Kale had woken up. The nanites need to be out to repair themselves and it is going well. This morning there was only enough to cover your chest which means they are self-replicating again." Kershala put his hand to his chest and then looked back to Anubis. "They're at forty percent of overall integrity."

"Why won't it respond to my signals?" he asked.

"I had temporarily blocked it to give it time to repair."

"Do not do that again, please," said Kershala plainly. He didn't like not being in control of himself and though he knew that the AI had control over several aspects of the suit he didn't realize it could block him out.

"I was merely…"

"I do not care, do not do it without my permission," said Kershala his irritation showing in his voice.

"As you wish." Kershala walked from the room and deactivated the suit. It was slower to retreat than normal and Kale looked at him as it crawled back up his body and disappeared, he was left in his shorts from the night before.

"Man, that is weird. Cool, but weird." Kale was plating their breakfast. "Foods good to go wanna eat on the balcony, it's pretty nice out." Kale put the pan in the sink and picked up the plates assuming the answer and walked out onto the balcony, the door was open. Kershala followed him out and they sat at a small table with chairs that Kershala hadn't noticed the night before. It was indeed a nice day, there was a patch of trees between them and the next building just enough to hear the light breeze in the leaves. The sun was warm on Kershala's face and chest as he sat across from Kale at the small table where Kale had placed his food. "Did you sleep okay?" Kale passed him a fork and pulled his own seat in closer to the table.

"Yes. The bed is much softer than the ones at your grandmothers." Kershala picked up the fork and took in some of the food, it was much more flavored than he expected. "This is different."

"Oh yeah, I've got a pretty good selection of spices here that I didn't have at my grandmothers. I like cooking breakfast, it's easy to make it different," Kale explained sitting his phone on the table and having a bite. The two of them sat in silence eating, Kale occasionally flipping through his phone, Kershala had a strange feeling come over him as his implant started reacting strangely. He dropped his fork and put his hand to his head swiftly. "Whoa you alright?" Kershala almost couldn't hear Kale speak his implant was buzzing with a strange interference.

"I do not know. My implant is…" Kershala tried to stand but fell to the ground. Kale rushed to his side.

"Anubis what's wrong with him?" he asked.

"I am receiving a strange signal from orbit. I believe we have been traced, they are trying to disrupt his implant to cause a reaction. I am attempting to block it." Kershala felt a strong fear come over him, he had never been attacked in this manor before but he had heard of certain Shiron hunters using certain psionic signals to disrupt Daoran implants. He could feel the AI working to shut them out, but it seemed as though it was taking forever. Kershala tried to signal his nanites to deploy but they wouldn't listen to him. This was the signals purpose he would be a much simpler target without his armor. There was suddenly the sound of a distant explosion and AI successfully blocked the signal. Kershala shook his head and as he stood his armor deployed.

"They have found us!" said Kershala.

"What the hell was that? Did they attack the city?" Kale stood up and looked in the direction of the sound. "That came from toward down town." Kale picked up his phone and a live news video started playing.

"Something just exploded at the citadel and no one seems to know what's going on, half of the citadel seems to have been destroyed! Are we under attack by terrorists?" said someone from Kale's phone. The video quickly cut off and another one started playing.

"Something big just fell from the sky and hit the citadel this is crazy, it looked like a missile. Are we under attack?!" said a different voice. A third video started playing.

"Something just blew up part of the citadel fell outta the sky from nowhere man, now some scary ass creature just stepped outta the smoke! Look at this crazy bastard!" Kershala jumped over to Kales side and watched the video, it was indeed a Shironian on the screen it's armor was different than Kershala had seen before. "The hell are you dude! You look like you're from space or something freaky looking mother fu…" The Shironian turned a weapon on the man taking the video and fired.

"Kershala humans don't know how to deal with them." Kale was still scrolling through his phone. "They're mobilizing the military right away. There's a base in Dartmouth but I don't know if they can…"

"Kershala, this Shironian," said Anubis, "it is alone. The markings on it's armor indicate that it's a member of the Shirona Arktora. They are elite hunter's often contracted by other sects of the Shiron to capture difficult prey. The rest of the empire may not have your location yet. It needs to be destroyed." A fear was beginning to overtake Kershala, he had heard stories of these hunters from his Patriarch. He could hear his words in his head ringing clearly. _If you ever encounter a member of the Arktora, you must run, for they are ruthless fighters with only a single goal._

"If they have found me…" Kershala looked at Kale a deep dread pulsating through his chest and his helmet covered his face. "I am sorry Kale, but I cannot stay here with you." Kershala looked over the balcony and bounded over the edge.

"Kershala no!" He heard Kale call to him from behind as he hit the ground. He looked in the direction of the explosion using his implant he scanned for the Shironian energy sources detecting that there was one only eight kilometers from him. "Kershala what are you doing you have to hide!" Kale's call was desperate and hurting and Kershala hated to have to make the decision best to protect him from the Shiron. He knew full well that they would round up anyone who associated with him for questioning and eventual death. The AI would have to stay with him, but he knew that they wouldn't be looking for it as they were after him and it's energy signal would be too low to detect. He took to running as fast as he could and as he ran he passed through several neighborhoods, fields, and forested areas.

He could tell he was getting close when he came out to a large open field. The Arktora was where it had initially landed, there had already been a military response by the time he got there. There were several large vehicles there that he hadn't seen before during travelling that his implant told him were carrying heavily explosive ammunition and some that he could tell were local law enforcement. There were people everywhere both crowds of civilians and what he assumed were human military officers dressed in uniform cradling weapons in their arms. Kershala knew that no matter what happened here, there would be no way he could avoid casualties. The area that had been the focus of the explosion was some sort of old structure on a hill. As he approached he analyzed the field of battle, it was mostly open and there would be no real cover. He couldn't see any way of getting an advantage over his opponent. He was almost there, he began to slow his run only slightly once he saw the creature step to a visible point on the hillside.

"Stand down and you won't be harmed but if you force our hand we will open fire!" a voice echoed around him. "This has been an act of war that we will not stand for!" It said again. "This is your final warning put your hands on your head and stand down." Kershala could see the creature raise it's arm followed by one of the larger vehicles exploding. "Open fire!" Kershala could hear several weapons firing on the creature flashes of light leaving the muzzles of the weapons he could see in the direction of the Arktora. There were sparks flying from the Shironian's armor as the projectiles collided with it, not surprisingly it was unphased. Another vehicle explosion, this time Kershala could hear people screaming and the crowds had begun to disperse from the scene. Kershala hoped that they would be smart enough to run and not look back. With a final bound Kershala put himself between the humans and his adversary the gunfire suddenly stopped.

"Hold your fire!" Kershala heard from somewhere behind him.

"Stop this madness, I am the one you are after!" Kershala screamed as loud as he could. "Leave these people alone, they are not the ones you seek!" The creature stopped and looked at him. Kershala's implant was attempting to scan the creature but was getting no useful data. His read out was also telling him that his own armor had only gotten to forty-two percent integrity. He was silently hoping that his body was healed enough for him to be able to fight and that he would somehow win this.

"There you are little Daora," The Arktora spoke in the native Shironian language of Ekarvian, "I'm glad you decided to show yourself before I had to wipe out this worthless populace of apes." Kershala stood only about twenty feet from the creature as it spoke. He circled it careful not to get too close. "You know what comes next, but like all of your people, I'm sure you will not come quietly. So, I will have to put you down, like the rodentia you are." Kershala thought this would likely be his only chance to take the creature by surprise. His helmet retracted, and the creature took pause in his actions.

"If you leave these people alone, I will go with you," Kershala did his best to make a convincing performance. "I am tired of running from your masters, I do not wish to fight anymore." The creature looked down at its hand and a binding tool appeared, the kind that Kershala had seen his people hauled away in when he was a child. It began walking quickly toward him.

"You've made a good choice, I have never met a smart Daoran before," said the Arktora as it approached him. Kershala readied himself signaling the nanites to draw for an EM burst. He could tell it would take longer than he was used to, so he had to buy time. He took a hesitant step back and the Arktora became weary.

"What will you do with me once we leave this planet?" he asked.

"I think that remains pretty clear but if I need to tell you… I will be taking you back to Baraketh the Hunter. His ship awaits you in the system you fled from him last," it explained approaching him slower than before. "I believe you will be reunited with your family once there." Kershala felt his heart ache.

"My family! Baraketh killed my family."

"Yes, most of them but one…" The Arktora came within arms reach of Kershala and reached for him quickly, Kershala jumped back and could see that his attack was ready. He grabbed the Arktora by the arm with one hand and pulled it into his elbow as his helmet redeployed. He delivered a third attack to the abdomen and as it bent forward Kershala brought down his fist with all his might and the EM energy. His fist landed between his adversary's shoulders and the combined impact of Kershala's brute force and the EM burst sent it crashing to the ground face first so hard that it there was an indent around it's impact point. Kershala brought his foot down on it hard in a follow up attack all the while thinking the whole thing had been too easy. The body jolted as his foot hit.

"I was hoping you'd try something, it's never enjoyable when they go quietly." Kershala felt a hand around his ankle and in one swift movement the Arktora was standing and Kershala was hurdling toward the wall of a structure. Kershala positioned himself in such a way that he hit the wall on all fours and landed the fall easily. He cleared his mind and readied a combat stance lowering his stature, deciding that he would let his enemy come to him. The Arktora turned to face him, Kershala's implant detected an energy build up in its right arm before it quickly raised it and opened fire on Kershala. It was unexpected but Kershala managed to dodge the volley, then the second and the third came just as quick. He was starting to see that range was a bad idea and he took to running at his enemy. The Arktora fired quicker and quicker as he got closer and closer the energy bolts hitting the ground beside him causing dirt to fly as Kershala used several acrobatic maneuvers to avoid being hit.

When he was in range he swung high for it's head but was met with a block, he swiftly threw another attack this time lower and landing the hit on its side. The Arktora was not phased by the attack and Kershala could feel the density of it's armor, it was stronger than most Shiron he had fought before. The Arktora's weapon vanished into it's arm as it crashed against his face so hard that Kershala could feel the nanites stiffen against his skin to keep his neck from snapping. Another attack followed, Kershala managed to stop it with his forearms but he could feel the pressure against his skin. The Arktora was incredibly strong, Kershala would likely have to outthink him as there would be no way for him to overpower it. Kershala dodged another swing at his head before launching a combo of attacks focusing on it's chest. His plan was to weaken its protection, the Shiron armor wasn't as advanced as what he had, and he knew that it would eventually break with enough punishment. Kershala landed one more hit before the Arktora swung back again missing with it's arm but then it kicked him in the chest. The impact was harsh the raw strength sending Kershala rolling backwards several feet. He grabbed at the ground and stopped himself quickly getting to his feet, he barely had enough time to move from the next attack. As the creature struck at him, Kershala dodged to the left and as quickly as he could grabbed the creature by the forearm with one hand he felt a jolt as it stopped mid dash. He quickly drew back his other arm and using all the force he could muster, he thrust it forward into the joint of the Arktora's arm. As it connected he could feel it's joint fracture under the force he had given it. This clearly took it by surprise as it retreated from him landing at least ten feet away.

"If this is the best you have then I fail to see why Baraketh needed me to retrieve you at all," it taunted him. Kershala watched as it took its dangling arm in hand and readjusted it, seemingly repairing the damage. "Now why don't you show me what you can really do?" Kershala extended his hands to his sides open palmed. The nanites began to stir and a blade formed in each hand from them. Kershala was naturally gifted in blade dancing but it was something that he often didn't resort to unless necessary. Kershala got a running start and jumped into the air, he knew the attack was predictable, he could see the Arktora readied its own attack. As he got within striking range Kershala drew back for his attack but activated the suits gravity alteration system and vaulted over the Arktora as it swung up at him. As he landed he brought the blades down into the creatures back on either side and dragged them through its armor several inches before quickly withdrawing. There didn't appear to be any blood on the weapons. The Arktora seemed unphased, Kershala's Patriarch had once told them that they were thought to be immune to most pain. It showed this as it swung around and landed a crushing blow to Kershala's chest once more. The pain coursed through him even though his armor was still intact. His implant told him the nanites in his armor had weakened, mentally he told them to act separately. This would cause the nanites to operate independently extending their ability to protect but they would be at risk of failing individually. This could leave him more vulnerable in the long run, but he needed to win. Kershala recovered from the blow just in time to protect himself from the next onslaught of attacks. He decided to play defensively, the Arktora threw several attacks at him, Kershala dodged taking the openings as they presented themselves to him. Forcing a blade into its leg and then the other into it's under arm. Kershala couldn't understand how it wasn't slowing down he had never fought an enemy like this before. "You're getting better, but I don't think you really understand there is no other way that this ends. You are coming with me. Dead or alive." A weapon appeared from the Arktora's shoulder, strange red energy began arcing from it and quickly began firing in all directions. One of the beams hit their mark and Kershala braced himself expecting pain there was none but Kershala looked down to see the nanites fall from his body leaving a hole in his armor on his left shoulder. He had heard that the Shiron were developing weapons to counter the nanite armor but there was no data on them being in active use yet. He looked up from his wound and the Arktora was on him in an instant, it had a new target to aim for and it seemed to be attacking with renewed vigor. It slammed its fist into the exposed area and without the nanite protection the pain was excruciating. As it landed the blow the weapon in it's back fired again releasing arcs of the red energy in seemingly every direction. He did his best to evade the energy, but it crashed against his suit in several places. He bounded once again out of physical range of his enemy favoring his arm. He threw his daggers both one after another at the Arktora, it swiftly dodged, but Kershala recalled the daggers one catching the side of it's neck, the other landing it's mark on the weapon knocking it from the armor. Kershala quickly assessed his own condition, his armor had new weak points in both his leg and abdomen. He knew he took another hit like he had to his arm in either of the two spots he would likely be done.

Kale had just managed to get to the downtown area. Traffic was bad on the highways with people both coming and going but there had been an evacuation order for the downtown area. Luckily they hadn't set up any blockades yet as most of the military and police presence were occupied with Citadel Hill. He had brought the AI with him and as he got out of the car to run up the hill with it in his hand he could feel the sinking feeling in his chest getting stronger. The AI had been telling him what Kershala was facing and it wasn't looking good. The streets were crowded with people and vehicles seemingly fleeing, Kale could hear people panicking some on the phone talking about an alien attack. On the way here, Kale had been listening to the local news station, that talked about a mysterious armored being effortlessly destroying several armored vehicles. They also discussed the stranger that showed up to defend them and the fight that ensued. They discussed the language they spoke in not being of earth and how no one knew what was truly happening. Kale knew, he knew that Kershala was fighting for his life and he didn't know what he could do to help him. He knew that he had taken several hits that were harder than he expected, and the AI had described this Arktora as a nightmare that Kershala would likely not be able to stop. Kale ran as hard as he could to get up the hill, the AI was in his hand as he ran, he had hoped that by bringing it with him it could help Kershala somehow.

"How's he doing?" asked Kale breathing heavily as he ran.

"He is alive, he has sustained heavy injury to his shoulder and his armor has been severely compromised," responded the AI.

"I hope there is something we can do…" Kale continued to run, he could see the military and police presence a couple of streets up from where he was. "I hope he can beat this thing." It wasn't long before Kale reached the police line that had been set up he caught his breath as he approached one of the officers.

"Sir you can't be here, this is extremely dangerous. We are evacuating the area!" the officer spoke loudly.

"I need to get up there, that's my friend fighting that thing," said Kale.

"I'm sorry but there's no way I can let you get up there."

"And I'm sorry but there's no way I'm not. That thing up there that person is fighting is going to kill everyone if Kershala doesn't win." Kale attempted to push passed the officer to no avail. The AI core lifted from Kale's hand and emitted a bright light directed at the officer, who fell to the ground with a blank expression on his face. "What did you do to him?"

"I have only stunned him, he will recover." The AI core stayed in the air. Kale looked at the officer for a second and bent over the body. He took the officers side arm and put it in his pants. "We must go." Kale took to running again this time they headed up over the grassy field to where the ground started to level out. There were military personnel all over, but they seemed to be ignoring him. "They're communications equipment suggests that they are trying to figure out who is friend or foe. Come with me I have traced the commanding officer." Anubis began to fly in a direction that seemed to circle the battlefield. Kale couldn't see Kershala, but he could hear several strange noises echoing everywhere around him. A variety of light explosions, grunting, metal on metal, and something that sounded very similar to the Shiron energy weapons from the explosion he had heard. They came up on an armored vehicle that was set up with operations equipment behind it. "The General's name is Johnson."

"General Johnson!" Kale called on approach, he slowed to a walk as a couple of soldiers greeted him less than friendly with assault rifles in hand. Kale put his hands up, so they could see he was friendly. "I'm armed but I'm here to help."

"Son we don't have any time for this, we have a potential national emergency on hand here."

"More than you know, that thing is a hostile species of alien here to hunt the alien that's fighting it." The general stopped what he was doing and turned to face him.

"Are you telling me you know something about this?" he asked.

"Yes. That man that's fighting it, his name is Kershala and he's not human. But he doesn't mean us any harm!"

"Why should we believe you? Aliens!" the general scoffed. "In all my thirty years, I've never heard something so ridiculous."

"That thing just blew up part of the Citadel, and several of your tanks with basically the wave of a hand. What the hell else could it be? North Korea? There's nothing on earth that could cause that kind of destruction? And look at the damn thing, you ever see a human move like that?" Kale was getting frustrated. "Anubis?" Anubis appeared in sight again after seemingly examining the equipment they were using.

"According to your equipment you plan on utilizing minor missile strike on the area to destroy the Arktora," the general and his men were taken aback at the hovering AI that spoke to them, "You will be unsuccessful and the damage you cause could be irreversible. I suggest you opt for something a little more precise. But it will require Kershala's cooperation." The general seemed to think for a moment as he looked back and forth between Kale and Anubis, Kale could tell for the most part he believed what he was seeing.

"I know, it's hard to believe right? I thought the same thing when I saw it, but we don't have the time to convince you. Just please trust us."

"Son, at this point I'm willing to try anything once, there are too many civilians at risk here," the general finally said after a short pause. "What do you propose we do?"

"Underneath there armor the Shiron are not so imposing, there flesh is not unlike that of Daora or humans. I believe that Kershala would be able to get the Arktora's helmet removed with great risk to himself using the nanites," explained Anubis.

"How do we let Kershala know that?"

"You simply have to tell him. The advantage is that the Arktora does not know your language."

"Then let's tell him." The general grabbed a nearby megaphone from the equipment. The general flipped a switch on the side of the megaphone and there was a loud noise. Kale wanted so bad to grab it from him and tell Kershala that he was there, that he wasn't in it alone. But he thought that hearing his voice may distract him and cause him to lose the fight. The general raised the megaphone to his mouth as they stepped in sight of the battlefield. Kale could see Kershala now, he was sparring with the creature and for the most part he seemed to be holding his own but the few hits that the Arktora landed were devastating. "Kershala," said the General once the fight broke for a second, "You need to get it's armor off somehow, then leave the rest to us!" Kale could see Kershala nod at them in acknowledgement, they made eye contact briefly and it was unfortunately was enough of a distraction for the creature to land a blow across Kershala's face.

"Jesus is he okay?" Kershala didn't fall but he staggered. Kale resisted every emotion in him that told him to run to him, but he knew he would just be in the way.

"He is damaged but not severely," said Anubis. "The helmet has protected him." Kale watched as Kershala rolled to one side avoiding another onslaught from the Arktora. "Kale remove yourself from sight you are a distraction to him." Kale ducked back behind the truck he felt tears welling up in his eyes, but he brushed them away, now was not the time.

"Can you show me what's going on, Anubis?" he asked. The AI core hovered back over to them and one of the lenses projected an overhead view of the battlefield. Kale could see the whole thing in front of him.

"That's a hell of a piece of equipment, you got there," said Johnson examining the AI core and the projection.

"If you only knew."

Kershala knew what he had to do, he just wasn't sure how he was going to do it before the Arktora managed to wear him down. He had managed to damage its armor with his blades but not enough to be significant. He couldn't believe that Kale was there if he lost there would be no way for him to get away from the blood bath that would likely ensue. Kershala dashed at the Arktora and dodged an oncoming attack before plunging one of his blades into the creature's abdomen. He thought for sure this would slow it down but once again he was wrong, and the creature brought an arm down on him. Kershala countered by jamming his other blade into the joint of it's arm. Letting go of the blades he jumped backwards dodging another attack he landed on his feet. His implant scanned the creature again searching for structural weaknesses in the armor, with the AI close by it would be more useful. Other than the couple of holes he had caused himself there was still nothing. He attempted to recall the blades, but they couldn't dislodge from the Arktora's body.

"Oh, you want these?" The Arktora must have felt them pulling at him as he ripped them both out himself. In one quick motion it hurled both blades toward him. Quick thinking on his part made one of them shatter into nanites and rejoin his suit, he wasn't so lucky with the other one. Kershala cried out in pain as the other blade landed in his leg where the beam weapon had exposed his skin. He looked down commanded the nanites to partially dissolve into his suit but he knew otherwise if he dislodged the blade it would likely bleed quite heavily. He could feel it lodged deep in the muscle tissue, it was painful to stand so he fell to one knee. He could hear the Arktora stomping heavily toward him, it wasn't long before he felt a large hand around his neck and he was being lifted into the air. The creature now held him in the air. Kershala was determined not to give up as he grabbed at it's hand with the arm that wasn't damaged yet wrapped his legs around its head. Kershala was no longer strong enough to break its arm, he felt pain course through him as he desperately tried to break it at the joint again. His broken body wouldn't listen to him. The Arktora laughed at his struggle then slammed him against the ground several times until his grip went weak. Kershala now dangled in the air, the only thing keeping the Arktora from crushing his neck was the nanites that were clustering around him his helmet had retracted to his implant to regulate its functions and to numb the pain. The pressure was causing his implant to ache. "I told you, there was no point. That one way or another you were coming with me." Kershala could barely hear the creature speak as he struggled to hang on to consciousness. There was the sound of weapons fire and sparks flew from the Arktora's helmet. Kershala looked over to see Kale walking toward them with a weapon pointed he could see his mouth moving but could not make out what he was saying over the sound of the weapon.

"No… don't…" Kershala could only think of one more thing he could do. The nanites began to buzz on his skin as they travelled from all over his body and down his arms. Kershala struggled against the creature's grip, he could taste his blood and could also feel it running down his leg and dripping to the ground from his toes. He put both of his hands to the creatures trying desperately to keep it from crushing his neck as the nanites crawled from his body to the Arktora.

"Foolish Daora, your people are vermin, your technology has made you weak. I am enjoying this, I have killed many of your kind. But never have I squeezed the life from a prince before."

"You are … about to … die," Kershala struggled to say as the last of the nanites made there way to his enemy's body.

"You're nanites cannot penetrate this armor. Your people have tried that before. We developed a defense against that as well," laughed the Arktora. Kershala held on as much as he could as he ordered the nanites to self-destruct. This caused them to become active and begin to buzz with activity. Normally the nanites wouldn't be able to eat through the Shironian's armor. But their energy output would become significantly higher as this function was very similar to the self-destruct their ships used.

Kale had fired the weapon landing his target and the creature didn't even flinch or acknowledge him. He could see that Kershala wasn't going to last much longer and he couldn't stand by and just watch him die. He now watched as the nanites of Kershala's suit swarmed over the Arktora's body, the sound he heard next was familiar to him from that night on the Daoran pod vessel. The nanites were self-destructing. Kale watched as they worked over the creature's body. Once it realized what was going on it dropped Kershala to the ground, Kale wondered if he was even still alive.

"Open fire!" Kale heard the generals' voice echo behind him from the megaphone and dove to the ground covering his head. There was gunfire seemingly coming from all around him. He struggled to look at Kershala, whom had managed to look directly at him. Kale felt overcome with joy as they made eye contact, he was alive. He now laid there in nothing, but the boxers Kale had given him, body battered and bruised almost worse than when they had first met that night. His eyes bloodshot with violet blood and blood running from his mouth. The gunfire continued, and Kale's eyes didn't leave Kershala's gaze to look at the creature that had let out a guttural howl before falling to the ground. "Hold fire!" Kale shot to his feet as quick as he could and ran to Kershala's side falling beside him.

"Say something, where's it hurt," Kale fought back tears as he took his shirt off and wrapped the wound on Kershala's leg. There was extensive bruising around Kershala's neck where the creature had held him.

"It hurts everywhere," Kershala spoke in a broken whisper from the damage caused, "But I am alive." Kershala smiled at him and Kale suddenly couldn't control himself once the wound was wrapped he knelt over Kershala's face to look him in the eye.

"Don't do that to me again, I don't ever wanna see you put through that kind of punishment okay," Kale touched his forehead to Kershala's, his skin clammy and cold from the sweat he had broken, Kale didn't care. As the tears started to fall, Kershala brought his hand up to the back of Kale's head.

"I didn't want anything to happen to you," Kershala whispered again. Kale let his body take over and kissed Kershala closing his eyes, his lips were soft and full, Kale could taste what he was sure was his blood, but he didn't care. He had to let Kershala know what he was feeling even if he didn't feel the same way. Kale opened his eyes and pulled back from the kiss. Kershala's eyes were full of emotion and surprise but Kale saw what he wanted to, there waiting for him as Kershala pulled him into his bare chest. Kale didn't care that there had to be thousands of people watching them between the military and police presence and the news stations he was sure were covering the story.


	7. Chapter 7

It had been two weeks since the events of Citadel Hill, and they had been taken to a secure facility inside the military base. The world didn't know how to process what happened that day, now being referred to as the Citadel Hill Incident. This was the first indisputable reminder that humanity was not alone in the universe and no longer even alone on their own planet. In the days they had been at the base Kale hadn't been allowed contact with Kershala or Anubis. Instead he had been confined to a small room very reminiscent of a prison cell with a toilet and a bed. He was locked behind a large metal door of sorts. They had taken his phone and he had had no communication with anyone outside of the base. He sat on the edge of the bed thinking about everything, there had been nights where he cried himself to sleep overcome with both fear for what was going to happen to him and worry about how Kershala was doing or what they were doing to him. All he had to go on to reassure himself that Kershala was okay was what he had been told by military personnel. There was suddenly talking outside of his room and he could hear them using the keys to open the door. Kale stood up with his back to the wall facing the door, not sure what to expect. The door opened slowly with a creaking hinge and an armed officer stepped into the room followed by a black-haired woman in an officer's uniform. By the medals on her uniform he could see that she was a decorated officer, she was a little older likely early fifties, late forties, she had a stern but friendly look on her face.

"Hello Kale, how're you feeling?" she asked in a French-Canadian accent.

"Fine," Kale was short and to the point he didn't want to make his situation any worse but by this point he was past polite.

"My name is Officer Bethany Stanfield. Officer Star and I are going to take you to another area of the base so that we can ask you some questions about your friend, is that alright with you?"

"Given my current situation I don't imagine I have a choice so lead the way." The women stepped aside and gestured for him to leave the room. Kale wearily followed her instructions and walked passed her and out into the hallway. He looked around taking in his surroundings, the building didn't appear to be that old, so he wasn't sure where they had taken him. After the battle he and Kershala had gotten into the back of an ambulance and he woke up in his room. He couldn't tell anything from the hall he was in. It was painted in neutral colors there was no obvious signage telling him about exits or entrances and there were no windows. Bethany and Officer Star, the man that had been watching him in his cell during the day for the last two weeks, guided him through the hallways that seemed to go on endlessly. They took a lift to a lower floor and eventually he was led into a room. He knew just from the demeanor and the look of the room that he was about to be interrogated. His nerves began to get the best of him as they sat him down and he could feel his heart beating loudly in his chest. His life had been normal and that had all changed the night he met Kershala. The women sat down across from him and sat a recording device on the table that she pulled from her bag, between them.

"Can you state your name and occupation for the record?" she asked. Taking a note pad from the bag she carried. Kale looked at her for a second then glanced at the other officer who had taken a position by the door.

"Kale Jarin, since I haven't been to work in two weeks I probably don't have a job anymore…" Kale didn't even try to hide the irritation in his voice, he wanted her to know how he felt. She looked at him expectantly waiting for a reply. "Security." He spoke quietly and looked at his hands that fidgeted on the table in front of him.

"Thank you. How did you meet the alien?" she asked seemingly emotionless. Kale didn't like Kershala being referred to just as the alien.

"Kershala."

"What?"

"His name is Kershala."

"Oh, I hadn't been given a name." Kale watched as she quickly made a note on the paper in front of her. She looked up at Kale once again with her expectant look on her face.

"Why the hell should I answer any of your questions? I'm a Canadian citizen for Christ sake, between Kershala and I we saved this city, and this is the thanks we get? Do you realize what the hell that thing would have done if we hadn't stopped it?" Kale's agitation got the attention of Officer Star who took several steps toward him.

"Look man," he said as he walked over to him and knelt into his ear, "just answer the ladies' questions it'll help you in the long run if you just cooperate." Kale took a deep breath and did everything he could not to lash out, his fear had quickly become anger and he knew it was clouding his judgement of the situation.

"Can I please see him? I just wanna know that he's okay," Tears quickly formed in Kale's eyes, he took a deep breath and wiped them away. Officer Star retook his post at the door. Officer Stanfield maintained her cold demeanor and pulled a tablet computer from her pack. She tapped the screen a few times and turned it toward him. It was Kershala, he was in a cell not unlike the one they kept him in. Kale didn't see any movement but could see that he was sleeping in the bed there was equipment hooked up to him presumably trying to monitor his vitals.

"As you can see, he is alive, and aside from the injuries he sustained during the incident, he is unharmed. Now will you please just answer my questions?" she spoke sternly. Kale took a deep breath and let out a shaking sigh.

"I met him when his ship crashed close to my grandmother's house, I thought a meteorite had fallen," Kale remembered that night, "I walked into the clearing, when I saw him he was unconscious, he had been thrown from his ship and his abdomen was bleeding."

"What happened to the ship?" Stanfield looked at him intently.

"It disintegrated."

"On impact? That seems unlikely that even the alien… Kershala, would survive that." Kale appreciated that she at least called him by name he didn't know why, but he felt a little more relaxed.

"No, he and the AI set off the self-destruct," he explained.

"But there was no explosion?" Stanfield cut her eyes as she spoke seemingly in disbelief.

"No, the technology they used was like what you saw happen at Citadel Hill, the nanites erased any trace of ships existence. I watched it literally turn to dust." Kale shrugged his shoulders and sat back in his chair.

"Where did this happen? Was it in the city?"

"No, Mapleton, up in Cumberland County."

"How long ago was this?"

"It's been almost a month now, I guess." Kale had to think of his answer not entirely sure if it was correct, since he wasn't sure exactly how many days had passed since they had been taken captive.

"Why didn't you contact local law enforcement?" Kale looked at her thinking that the answer was right in front of her.

"Because I didn't want to see this happen to him," Kale wiped at his eyes hoping to stop the tears before they formed, being locked away from social contact for two weeks had made him emotional. "I can't believe this is happening."

"Did the alien threaten you?"

"What?" Kale couldn't even fathom Kershala threatening him, "Of course not."

"Did you ever feel like you were in danger around it?" Officer Stanfield's tone was becoming ever more aggressive.

"At first I wasn't sure what was going to happen, but I never felt like I was in danger."

"Had the alien exacted any influence over you?" The questions came quick barely giving him time to answer.

"He didn't even speak to me for the first few days." Kale didn't want to offer up any information, he knew he couldn't trust any of these people.

"When he spoke did he speak English?"

"Yes."

"How did he learn it?" she asked quickly.

"I don't know he just knew it." Stanfield seemed to back off temporarily and relaxed her posture.

"Could the AI have taught him?" she finally asked.

"Yes, we had been speaking so it's likely."

"What can you tell me about the AI?" Stanfield sat forward again and placed her hands on the desk in front of her.

"Nothing it can't tell you itself. Ask it."

"It is refusing to speak with us."

"Why, it's almost hard to believe that it wouldn't speak to you, after my time around it? Where is it?"

"We have had to separate it from the alien, it wouldn't allow us to assist it." Kale had had enough of the questions, it was pretty clear that they weren't going to let them go anytime soon.

"I'm not answering anymore of your questions until I get to see my friend. Take me back to my cell." Stanfield looked at him and slit her eyes.

"Suit yourself. But I'm not sure you're ever going to see him again."

"What does that mean?" Kale felt his heart in his throat feeling helpless. Stanfield ignored him and picked up the recording device and her note pad. She put them both in her bag before picking it up and exiting the room.

"Let's go kid," said Officer Star as he walked over and lifted Kale from his seat. Kale stood on his own and the officer coaxed him into heading back to his cell.

Kershala laid still on his bed in the tiny cell. It had been two weeks since the battle and his wounds had just about finished healing. The wound in his leg had been stitched by a human doctor when he was first brought to this facility. Even though human's medical technology was primitive, Daoran surgery often made use of nanites and laser tech, his wound was healing. He was already able to walk on it. His implant on the other hand had been severely damaged during the fight from the pressure they had put on him. His head would often ache, and his vision was fuzzy. He could feel the nanites within it swiftly working but there wasn't enough of them. He had never experienced this amount of damage to his implant before. It had gone into a safe mode that prevented him from using it to its full extent. He couldn't detect heat signatures unless they were within a few feet of him. He couldn't read vital signs or analyze the structure he was in. Most importantly he couldn't use it to find Kale or the AI. He was sure that if he could get to the AI it could analyze and realign the implant or help the nanites to work more efficiently to repair it. At this point the nanites that would form his helmet wouldn't respond to his commands, he found if he tried too hard all it did was cause his head to ache. He looked around at the small room he could hear a quiet hum from the surveillance technology that watched over him, but he couldn't find where it was without his sight being functional. He often sat on his bed and just listened to his surroundings trying to figure out what their plans were for him, or if he could get any inkling as to where Kale was.

Kershala touched his fingers to his lips remembering Kale's kiss, it was the last thing he could remember before waking up in a medical lab strapped to a bed. Kershala had been too badly injured to put up a fight but the humans didn't trust him. The next thing he remembered was the man repairing his leg and laying on the bed in pain because the pain killer they gave him had no effect on his Daoran physiology. As the minutes of each day passed he felt himself yearning for Kale's touch. They had gotten so close in such a short period of time it now hurt to be away from him. There was a sound in the hallway and Kershala took a deep breath not sure what to expect. It was too early for the doctor to come check on him and it wasn't meal time.

"Kershala, you've got a visitor," said the officer guarding the door. Kershala felt a bit of excitement hoping that someone had changed their minds and they were letting Kale come to visit him. But as he turned toward the door he could see that the shape standing there was not him. He could make out only colors and shapes comfortably. If he strained, he could see more but did not feel the effort worth it.

"Hello, Kershala, was it?" said a women's voice in an unfamiliar accent. "My name is Officer Stanfield, I'd like to ask you some questions." The women's tone wasn't unfriendly as she spoke but Kershala decided to play guarded. "If that's okay?" she asked as he sat silent after her introduction.

"Forgive me, my hearing and vision are both suffering from my injuries." Kershala didn't really have any damage to his hearing but the more helpless he looked to them the more he felt they may show him mercy.

"Are your injuries still bothering you?" The women sat across from him and rested her hand on his resting on his knee.

"I am no longer in any great pain, only discomfort," he answered.

"I've seen nothing in the doctor's report detailing your vision or hearing loss, have you discussed it with him."

"Yes, but he cannot fix it because he cannot determine a reason for it. The instruments he uses," Kershala paused, "They are very primitive, but they also don't read my physiology well." Kershala had not talked to any of the military personnel about his implant, and their scans had not been able to detect it. "The AI would likely be able to help me, if I may be allowed to see it."

"I'm afraid that's not possible for now, we may be able to let you see it again soon."

"Why have you separated us? We do not wish to harm you, we are only seeking refuge from those that would see us dead." Kershala's voice quivered as he spoke mainly because he thought of Kale and his emotions were taking hold. But also, because he thought it may appeal to his captures. He looked at the women, with her so close the implant began picking up on her vitals, as tears formed in his eyes he could see a response triggered in her. "Please." She took a deep breath then sat back in her chair.

"You're far more human than I imagined," she said quietly. "Kershala we're going to take a walk, I would like to ask you some questions regarding your time on our planet." Kershala could see her stand and take a step toward him. "Can you walk comfortably?" Kershala rose slowly from his bed and she guided him to the door and they headed down a long well-lit hallway with at least two other officers close behind them. Kershala forced his implant to take readings of the hallway and the doors they passed trying to get an idea of what kind of facility he was in. He already knew it was a military establishment, but he wanted to know what else was going on there and to also see if Kale was somewhere nearby.

"Can you at least tell me where my friend is? If not the AI," he asked.

"In time, we may be able to work something out for you." They walked down the hall and took a left, they continued down the hall another twenty feet before turning into a small room. As they walked in Kershala could make out a table in the center of the room under a bright light. "Please have a seat." Kershala walked into the room and sat at the table guiding himself with a hand out in front of him. As he sat down his implant collected information from around him and he could suddenly tell that Kale had been in the room before. Stanfield sat down across from him and the guards took their stations at the door. She sat a device on the table that the implant told him it was some sort of recording device and she had a writing tool and paper in front of her. She touched the recording device and Kershala could feel the faint electric field from it as it activated. "Can you tell me about the day you arrived on Earth?" she asked.

"It was a difficult day, I was in rough shape having suffered a great loss and fought a great battle that day," Kershala began.

"Was it like on the Citadel?" The women's heart rate increased as she spoke to him.

"No, it was different…" Kershala trailed off, not wanting to relive the loss with a stranger present. He could already feel the tears forming as he thought of his family.

"How so?" she pushed lightly.

"The day you speak of, I only lost the battle, no one died that day."

"So, someone close to you died the day you arrived?"

"I will only answer yes. I will not speak of it beyond that." Kershala could feel an anger boiling in him at the disrespect this stranger he felt was showing his families memory.

"Can you tell us who killed these people?" Where Kale had been patient and un-intrusive this person was almost pushy.

"It is irrelevant, they are thousands of lightyears from here, and that is where I wish to leave it!" Kershala stood abruptly forcing the table forward as he stood, the two guards rushed him and pointed their weapons at him.

"Back off you two, I guess I deserved that," said Stanfield waving a hand at the men they both looked at her and then took a step back. "Please sit back down." As the two men backed off Kershala cautiously retook his seat. "We are just trying to figure out if the people that chased you are a threat to the rest of the people on this planet."

"Of course, they are a threat, but they do not know of your planets existence. They may find me in the future, but it could take them a very long time." Kershala took a breath deciding not to go into detail about his emotional range to explain himself.

"If that is the case then how did that creature you fought track you down?"

"The demon that I fought that day… is different…" Kershala paused, he didn't really know a lot to tell them about it without the AI, "They are hunters, they operate alone in singular ships that search the galaxy for the remainder of my people. They're called the Shirona Arktora."

"Anything else that you can tell us about the creature?"

"If you ever encounter a member of the Arktora, you must run, for they are ruthless fighters with only a single goal… my Patriarch's words. The AI has an archive on them it would be more equipped to answer your query then I." The women shifted in her seat she was intent on his words.

"Why did you ignore your… Patriarch's words?" she asked hesitantly. Kershala sat silent briefly and thought of his reasoning.

"At first," he paused, "I did not want to put Kale in danger."

"Why's that?" Kershala would have thought the answer obvious considering the kiss they had shared.

"I knew if I did not go to the Arktora right away, it would likely find me and kill Kale in the process. He has been so good to me. He opened his home to me, fed me, clothed me…" Kershala stared blankly recalling everything Kale had done for him and the memories running through his head. From the moment he brought him to his house, to when he groomed him, right to when he woke up to him cooking for him the morning of the battle. "He was the only voice in the darkness when I suffered the greatest loss anyone could suffer." Kershala paused again a small smile on his face as he thought of everything. The smile faded as he began to talk again. "Then once the battle started, all those people, those lives. I had to win, regardless of the suffering I knew it would cause me." Kershala's answer seemed to throw her aback, she sat back in her chair and wrote something down.

"Kershala, I must admit, the purpose of my interview today was to determine whether or not you were a threat to our nation and planet. After speaking to Kale, I wasn't sure I would get what I needed from you. I don't know what I expected but I feel you are not a threat to this country. You were willing to fight for us to protect innocent people at the potential cost to yourself. If that doesn't speak to Canadian values I don't know what does." The women stood up from her seat and took the recording device from the desk. "I am going to speak to my superiors, I can't promise anything, but I will see if I can arrange some time for you and Kale to see one another." Kershala felt a rush of joy move through him and he stood up.

"Thank you, officer. It will mean a lot to see him." Officer Stanfield walked out of the room and the guards guided him back to his room, he sat on the bed waiting for his next visitor.


	8. Chapter 8

It had been another two days since Kale had undergone the interrogation and no one had been to see him since other than the soldiers who brought him his food every day. The food was pretty close to hospital food, mass produced, dehydrated and efficient but nothing with any amount of flavor to it. He looked up at the camera in the corner of his cell wondering who was watching him on the other side. There was an unexpected knock at the door and Kale stood up to face it. He wasn't sure what to expect at this point especially after his last interrogation. The door opened, and Officer Stanfield was standing in the doorway, his door guard standing beside her.

"I'm not telling you anything else until you let me see him," he exclaimed.

"Then I guess you will be telling me more soon," she smiled as she spoke before stepping to the side. "You can come in." Kershala stepped into view and Kale wanted to run up and wrap his arms around him but hesitated, almost stunned. Kershala looked up at him and smiled clearly happy to see him but restraining himself. Kale could feel tears welling up in his eyes but tried to hold back not wanting to break down in front of the officers. "You've got an hour, don't waste it. I'll be back." Officer Stanfield backed out of the room and they shut and locked the door. Kale rushed Kershala and threw his arms around him pulling him into a tight hug. Kershala returned the embrace. The feeling of Kershala wrapped around him brought back memories of the night they slept wrapped up in each other. Kale breathed him in, even wearing the prisoner attire they both had on, Kershala had a distinct smell. After so long in such a sterile environment it was almost intoxicating.

"I was starting to think they weren't going to let me see you," he sobbed.

"I am so happy to be with you Kale." Kale could feel Kershala's hands move from the base of his back up to the back of his head and running through his hair. Kershala cupped his head and guided him to touch their foreheads together. Kale wanted to kiss him but wasn't sure if he'd be able to stop so he refrained. Kale stared into his eyes and noticed something different about them, the violet in them seemed dimmer than he remembered.

"What's wrong with your eyes? Are you okay?" he asked pulling back and touching his face while inspecting his eyes.

"I am okay, but my vision is blurred," Kershala pulled Kale back into him and whispered his next sentence, so low that only Kale could hear him. "The damage to my implant was extensive and the nanites cannot repair it fully without the AI's assistance." Kershala's voice returned to normal volume. "When the Arktora choked me it likely caused pressure damage to my eyes and vascular structure. With time it will heal." Kershala caressed Kale's face moving gentle hands over his face and thumbing under his eye. "I wish I could look into your eyes."

"I'm happy to just feel your touch again." Kale guided Kershala to the bed and they sat down. "Have they said anything to you about when they might let us go?" he asked.

"No, nothing. I only first talked to anyone other than my attending physician just two days ago," explained Kershala. "They took me to a room where you had been before. You felt so close and so far at the same time." Kale took Kershala's hand and squeezed trying to offer up some kind of reassurance while at the same time having a hard time believing it himself. They had been interrogated the same day in the same room. "I think that Officer Stanfield will help us. She was quite reactive to our conversation."

"That wasn't how my interaction with her went. She wouldn't even call you by your name," said Kale thinking back to his interrogation with Stanfield. Kale laid back on the bed and Kershala stayed where he was seated next to him. The two of them sat silent for a moment, Kale wasn't sure what to talk about but felt comforted just sitting in the presence of someone else that wasn't a guard. He looked at Kershala for a moment as they sat, any bruising and visible damage caused had seemingly dissipated other than his eyes. The bruising that had been present on his neck and face had gone. He did notice that the time they had been apart Kershala's facial hair had grown considerably thicker almost to the point it had been when they first met. He smiled faintly and leaned forward touching Kershala's chin. Kershala reacted to his touch with a smirk and looked in his direction. "Your beard has grown out quite a bit since I saw you."

"Will you help me trim it up again?" he asked.

"I doubt they will give me a razor to use while we are in here." Kale touched his own facial hair that had gone far longer than he'd usually allowed it to. "I could use a shave myself though. Maybe we can work something out."

"Maybe." Kershala put his head down and touched the spot on his leg that had been wounded.

"Is your leg okay?" he asked.

"Yes, it is healing well. A human doctor stitched it back up for me when they brought us here." Kershala outlined the wound on his leg with his finger.

"Do you remember anything about the day we got here? I just remember getting in the ambulance with you and then waking up here a little while later."

"I remember everything, their anesthetic wouldn't work on me, the stitching was… uncomfortable." Kale shuttered at the thought of getting stitches and being awake for them.

"Sounds terrible."

"The thought of seeing you again, made it easier to endure." Kale laid backed down and pulled Kershala to lay down on his chest. They didn't have much time left and he just wanted to sit with him. He sat back partially propped against the wall as Kershala laid his head on his chest and rested his hand on shoulder.

"I just wanna hold on as long as I can. It's been awful knowing that your somewhere in the building and I can't see you or speak to you," he whispered. "Spending all that time with you really got me attached, and since I'd found you that night we haven't been apart." Kale felt tears run down his face, Kershala looked up at him and wiped them away. He could see tears in Kershala's eyes as well.

"Be strong, I will get us out of this soon I promise." Kale didn't know what Kershala was planning but just hearing the reassurance made him feel better. Kershala put his head back down and closed his eyes, they sat out the rest of their hour in quiet happiness.

Another three days had passed since Kershala had gotten to sit with Kale. It was early morning and he had been taken to a lab by the doctor who had been attending him, and Officer Stanfield. The doctor had never introduced himself by name and they only spoke to discuss his symptoms. Kershala was sitting on a cold metal surface upon entering they had stripped him of his clothing with only the exception of the undergarments. His vision hadn't gotten any better, he still couldn't control the nanites and his implant had not improved.

"So, your vision has not gotten any better?" asked the doctor shining a small pen light in each of his eyes.

"No, as I have said, it will not improve further without intervention from the AI," said Kershala.

"And you still haven't told me how an AI is going to repair your vision; how do I know you're not plotting something." Throughout the course of their interactions, for the most part the doctor had been respectful and cordial but Kershala could tell there was no trust in him. The readings the implant had been able to give him showed that the man was often anxious around him.

"Doctor, my evaluations have shown no signs of hostility or dishonesty," said Officer Stanfield, "Kershala could you maybe explain to us the connection you have with this machine, so we can better understand it?" As Kershala sat the doctor ran a device over his body, he could feel his skin reacting to the pulses from the small radioactive imaging scanner they used.

"Doctor please, I have told you before, your imaging scanner will not work on my body, and it is rather uncomfortable being bombarded with radioactive particles," said Kershala seemingly ignoring the Officers question.

"Is it painful?" she asked.

"No, but it is uncomfortable as I said."

"Doctor, have you gotten any images from the scanner yet?" she asked.

"N, no." The doctor stuttered over his words.

"Then what is the point, if this makes him uncomfortable and we do not benefit, then why keep going?" The doctor stopped what he was doing and frustratingly dropped the scanner on the table folding his arms.

"Do I listen in on your interrogations and ask why you asked that question?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, but that would never happen, as I'm your supervisor is my understanding," said Stanfield. The doctor sighed and picked up an instrument and put it in Kershala's ear to try and get his body temperature. "Now back to my original inquiry, can you tell us how the AI is connected to you?"

"It is not connected to me directly," said Kershala, "but because it has access to the entire Daoran medical library, it has extensive knowledge of my physiology. It is also equipped to do microsurgery using several instruments that are well beyond the scope of human medicine. I'd be happy to have it share anything that cannot be weaponized with your superiors." There was silence as the room seemed to ponder what Kershala had suggested.

"I have spoken to my superiors on that," said Stanfield, "Quite frankly they're nervous to have the machine active. It's technologically beyond anything we've ever been exposed to before. They're scared of what it could do and they're happier now that it seems to be dormant." Kershala thought to himself for a moment, he couldn't remember an instance of the AI going dormant before.

"When was it last active?" he asked.

"When we arrived at the base and it realized we were separating the three of you, it attempted to escape but gave up once it realized you were too weak to leave," explained the doctor.

"It has never gone inactive before; does it know I am alive?"

"Yes."

"It is waiting to be reunited with me, it may remain inactive until it is," Kershala pondered for a moment just how much he should really tell the humans about the AI, "It is… its name is Anubis. It carries a full archive of the history of my people. It is supposed to guide my family and keep us safe," Kershala paused, "That is just me now." Kershala took a deep breath as he thought about how long it had been since his family was taken from him. "I miss them dearly. I lost them shortly before I arrived here." Kershala spoke quietly. Kershala lowered his head and he felt a single tear fall from his eyes, landing on his bare leg.

"Would you like to talk about it?" asked Stanfield. Kershala wiped at his face and quickly pulled himself together.

"No." The doctor sat Kershala's clothing next to him on the table and left the room.

"Kershala could I speak with the AI?" asked Stanfield.

"Yes, but I would need access to it, I imagine it will stay dormant until we are reunited. And to be truthful I would like for it to check on my body to make sure I am well. I have never lost my vision before." Kershala stood and began to dress himself.

"I will speak to my superiors." Officer Stanfield stood and turned to the door.

"Thank you, officer," said Kershala sliding the pants on, then the shirt.

"You're welcome. The officer outside will take you back to your room." The women nodded at him and turned to leave. Kershala put his footwear on and as Stanfield left the other officer stepped into the room. It was a different officer than he had seen before, there hadn't been many people in this facility the entire time they had been here. Other than the officers that guarded him and Kale, he had only seen the doctor and Officer Stanfield. He never saw anyone in the hallways between rooms, and even now the lab was only run by the doctor. As they walked Kershala speculated that this was on purpose to limit exposure. The less people that were present meant less lose ends to tie up should anything go wrong. The implant told him that the officer was not stressed or nervous around him but Kershala was curious as they stepped into the elevator.

"Are you under orders not to speak with me?" he asked. The officer looked at him the implant telling Kershala that his heart rate had picked up.

"No," he said, "at least not directly." The elevator came to a stop and Kershala stepped out into the hall, the officer followed behind him as they walked back to his cell. The officer didn't offer up anymore conversation pieces so Kershala stayed quiet he walked into his cell and sat on the bed.

Early the following morning Kershala sat on his bed having just woken up when the door began to open. Kershala could see that it was Officer Stanfield as the door slid open. She looked at him and smiled with a greeting.

"My superiors have decided to allow you to see the AI," she said. Kershala felt a sudden bolt of relief shoot through him, hoping that the AI would be able to realign his implant and give him back his vision.

"That is great news," said Kershala standing to greet her.

"There are conditions though. It is necessary that my superiors be present as they would like to ask you both some questions," she explained.

"Of course, but you must let me communicate with it first. May you allow Kale to be present?" he asked. "He… comforts me."

"Another officer will be bringing him down as well. Come, they are waiting for us." Stanfield stepped back and Kershala stood to accompany her. The two of them walked out into the hall and proceeded to the elevator followed by the door guard. Usually when they got into the elevator they would head to the lower floors, Kershala watched as Stanfield entered a code and the up-indicator arrow lit up. It wasn't long after the lift started that it stopped they stepped into a hallway. This hall was different than what Kershala was used to seeing. It was better lit and less sterile, the floors were carpeted and Kershala could see windows down the hall. He had not seen the sun since the morning of the battle and now he could tell it was peering through the windows. Kershala rushed ahead to the windows.

"Freeze don't move!" said the accompanying officer raising his weapon. Kershala stopped at the window.

"I am sorry, I have not seen or felt the sunlight since I've been here."

"Stand down officer," said Stanfield putting a hand on the guard's gun. Kershala sat and stared out the window even though he couldn't see the full scale of what he was looking at the effect was the same. He could feel tears come to his eyes as the warmth from the sun touched his face. Stanfield stepped up beside him and rested a hand on his forearm. "Kershala they are waiting for us." Kershala looked at her and nodded in acknowledgment. They continued down the hall turning a corner. Kershala caught a glimpse of a shadow entering a room a few feet down the hall on the right and knew where he was going.

They entered the room to see Kale sitting at a table across the room from the doorway and two men in uniform sitting at another table to the left. The two had been speaking amongst themselves and stopped when they entered the room to stare at him. Kershala recognized one of them by his voice as the Commander of the forces that were in the battlefield that day, though he couldn't recall his name. The other was not familiar to him. Kershala quickly looked around the room to see if his implant could pick up the AI. It was sitting on the table top on the right side of the door, but it was in some sort of casing. He looked in the direction of the casing and could see that there were two armed guards posted by it. He wanted to go to it quickly but refrained afraid he may provoke a reaction. Kale hadn't spoken to him yet, so he could only assume that he had been told not to.

"Hello, Kershala," said the familiar voice, "I'm General Johnson and I was present the day you fought that creature on Citadel Hill. Very impressive." Kershala nodded in acknowledgement graciously.

"Thank you, General," Kershala spoke softly not wanting to seem too eager. The implant told him that these men were anxious, and he needed them to cooperate.

"I understand you aren't able to see clearly?" said Johnson, "Our doctor's not been able to help you?"

"No, the tools he uses are not able to give him accurate information on my physiology. The damage has been caused by the creatures choke hold. I am healed on the surface…"

"Yes, we understand that," the other General interrupted him. "Now you've managed to convince Officer Stanfield that your intentions aren't hostile, before we allow any interaction with your device. I need you to understand that if you or it take any hostile actions your friends' life is in danger." Kershala felt a rush of anger fall over him and looked down trying not to let them see it in him. He took a deep breath as did Kale.

"If any harm comes to him I will give you nothing," he said plainly.

"I don't want to harm anyone, I just need you to know that we are serious and though you are clearly physically stronger than any human that we are a resourceful people. Now have we reached an understanding?"

"Yes," Kershala kept his voice low and managed to contain the burst of anger he felt, "I warn you now that the AI's initial response once it reactivates may be hostile, I can guarantee it will not harm anyone, but it may be erratic at first."

"You may proceed. It is in the case," said Johnson. Kershala stepped over to the case and as he placed his hand on it he could feel the AI inside come back online. Its proximity made the nanites in his head begin to stir, he had hoped that they would transmit his conversation to it, so it would not be hostile. Kershala took a breath and opened the casing the AI immediately came to life and hovered in front of him. The two men guarding the case quickly raised their weapons.

"You may relax, I am in full understanding of the current situation. Please lower your weapons," said Anubis, with little inflection. The guards both took a step back as Anubis hovered around Kershala's body slowly before making its way back around to his face. "Your body shows signs of severe scar tissue from the damage sustained from your last confrontation, did they not heal your wounds?"

"They did what they could, but their anesthetics did not work me, it was … difficult." Kershala spoke calmly recalling the stitching process, with the implant's functionality limited he wasn't sure how much the AI could get from it.

"I am also detecting severe damage to your vascular tissue in your neck and eyes." Kershala could see that the AI was aware that he hadn't let the humans know about his implant yet and wouldn't mention it. He could already feel the AI synching up with it, there was a great pressure in Kershala's head that he had just gotten used to in the last weeks that was suddenly lifting. The release of the pressure was intense, he grunted straining himself and going to his knee.

"Kershala," Kale stood quickly and went to his side resting a hand on his back, "Are you okay?"

"He is fine Kale, there has been a release of the vascular pressure that was interfering with visual function," Anubis reassured. Kershala's vision was slowly getting better but could feel blood leaking from his eyes. It was oddly colored from its usual bright violet. Officer Stanfield approached from the side. "There is fluidic build up behind the eyes, what you are seeing is the result of that. There is no cause for concern. Kershala you must stand." Kershala let out a whimper as he attempted to stand. "Kale I need him standing." The rest of the room stayed quiet as Kale helped Kershala to his feet, there was pain that Kershala had never experienced before somewhere in his head. "The nanites, they no longer respond to your command input?"

"No, it hurts when I try to activate them," answered Kershala.

"They must be reintegrated." Kershala could feel the AI's interaction with the nanites in his head, they had begun to stir, and it wasn't long before they extracted from him. They seemed to be exiting through his implant and had begun to swarm around the AI.

"What is going on?" asked the unfamiliar General standing from his desk. The AI floated over to the generals table with the nanites still hovering around it.

"These nanites make up the armor Kershala wore during the combat with the Shirona Arktora, they protect him but also work with his body to keep him in top condition. I will use them to repair the tissue damage caused by your antiquated healing techniques." The General looked perturbed by the AI's statement as it hovered back over to Kershala and he retook his seat. "First they must be reset as they had sustained severe damage during combat. This will not take long."

"Kershala, how do you feel?" asked Kale touching his face.

"Relief," Kershala breathed. Kershala no longer needed Kale to help him stand as the pressure build up from the implant was dispersed. He lost connection with the implant temporarily as the AI recalibrated it and restarted it, but his vision was fully restored. He looked over at Kale and felt joy rush over him as he could finally see his face again. "I can see you," he whispered and pulled Kale's forehead into his and just stared into his eyes.

"Kershala, please remain focused on the situation at hand," said Anubis.

"Yes, please," said Johnson with a degree of disgust. Kershala turned his attention back to the AI and the nanites that had swarmed around it moved to his neck and retreated to his implant.

"You must test them, then I will use them to begin work on the scar tissue present." Kershala recalled the nanites and they quickly formed the helmet and receded. He could then feel the AI take control and send them throughout his body. "The test is complete, they will complete their repairs in a couple of hours." Anubis hovered to the center of the room. "Now, it is my understanding that you have questions for me." The room went quiet for several long seconds and Kershala sat beside Kale who took his hand inconspicuously under the table. "Well?" General Johnson sat back in his seat and put a device on the table very similar to the recording device that Officer Stanfield had at one time used.

"All right, I'll bite. What the hell was that thing that attacked us?" he asked.

"It is an elite Shironian soldier known as the Shirona Arktora," The AI began to project an image of the creature that attacked them, the image began slowly building from the ground until a life-size projection of the creature was standing beside it. With good reason the room looked uneasy and Kershala, even though he knew it was fake, had a sudden fear build in him, he looked away as the AI continued. "To elaborate on the subject. This is the one that you witnessed Kershala fight. They were created from a program that ran three hundred of your years ago. The program involved each Shironian sect putting forth it's best most fierce warriors. The most recent Daoran intelligence states that there are ten distinguishable sects, telling us that there should only have been a total of ten of these creatures. Through a series of very forceful genetic experimentation and technological augmentation, they were enhanced and mutated into the creature you saw. Due to the nature of the genetic manipulation no two of them are the same, after further analysis of Kershala's encounter with this one I believe it to be of the Kratosia sect. I have determined this through analysis of the glyphs on its armor which the nanites were able to get a detailed scan of as it was broken down. As you witnessed these creatures possess incredible physical strength even beyond that of the best Daoran warriors. The technology they possess has often been stolen from the victims of their hunts and modified to meet their needs. The weapons they use aren't typical of the Shironian empire."

"How did this thing find you, and how long before his buddies come looking for him?" asked the other General.

"This is what I find most interesting about the Shirona Arktora, they are without a doubt the Shiron's greatest weapon. However shortly after the experiment that created them was finished, they destroyed the facility they were created in and killed everyone in it. The Shiron do not have full control of them but manage to maintain a working relationship by employing them as bounty hunters and supplying them with upgrades. They work alone and hunt alone, there is good chance that our pursuers don't even know where he tracked us too. This is also why Kershala attacked it so quickly. If we had left it there was a chance it could have reported back," Anubis paused briefly, "If the Shiron discover this planet they will likely eradicate all human life. Through accessing your internet, I have discovered that you have tapped a great deal of your planets resources but there is still several you don't even realize you sit on. This would be a driving force for the Shironian Empire."

"So, you're telling us that even if these Shiron, get a hold of you two there's no guarantee they won't attack anyway?" asked Johnson. Kershala could tell that this was their plan, to give him and the AI, to the Shiron if they showed up again.

"Correct." Anubis stopped projecting the image of the creature. "If I may Generals, what have you done with the remains?"

"It is currently being held in the depths of this facility. Our scientists have not had much luck picking it apart," said Johnson.

"I would like to perform a scan of the remains. I suspect that it contains something of great interest to Kershala and myself." General Johnson's posture changed to seemingly sterner demeanor.

"A few more questions first," he said standing. "There were undoubtedly hundreds of cameras at the event that day, yet there's been nothing pop up on any social media or even any news stations. There have been news stories and interviews, but no one has any video footage. Now why is that?" General Johnson took a step forward.

"We are used to hiding General, we have tools that prevent such things from happening, so we are both protected and so that the societies in which we hide are not affected by our presence. Shortly after we arrived on this planet Kershala was involved in an incident, in which there were several pictures taken of him and placed on your… Facebook. At which point I released a program to stop any evidence of Kershala's existence from being discovered."

"Seems to have saved us the trouble, easier to deny when there is no video or picture evidence."

"The only way to prevent it from working is to maintain a closed-circuit network away from the rest of the web. From what I can tell your society does not seem to use such a thing. You will find that any digital records you maintain of us will soon disappear. Now may I see the remains?" The AI hovered over to the general and stayed at eye level with him. "I suspect the means to summon it's vessel will be somewhere on the body. I believe I will be able to repurpose it so that we may leave this planet." Kershala felt Kale squeeze his hand and he could see that he had become visibly distressed.

"You can't expect us to just hand over a massive scientific discovery like this with no hesitation," said Officer Stanfield. The AI hovered over to her as she stepped forward.

"I can, and I do." Kershala could tell that the AI was starting to become defensive as the very purpose of its programming took it over. "I don't think that you understand what is truly happening here." The unfamiliar officer stood quickly.

"I don't think you understand the position you're in right now!" he threatened, "We are in control here and you don't get to make demands." The AI hovered over to him quickly.

"I am aware of the conversation you had with Kershala about taking Kale's life. My purpose is to protect Kershala, Kale is not my concern. I have viewed your history, I know full well what you are capable of. A race that would do to its own people what yours has done is not likely to exist beyond its own planet. Destroying natural resources for the sake of simply increasing your wealth, slavery, decimating entire populaces of your own people simply because you are a different color than they are. The Daora are far above you, not only do you lack the unity to defend yourselves against what really lies beyond your own solar system, but should we choose to leave you don't have the capacity to stop us." The tension in the room was high, Kershala's implant was telling him that the humans were scared, and Kale's breathing alone told him he was hurt. The younger officers that had guarded the case were holding their weapons in such a way that while they weren't readied, Kershala could see they were trained on him. He could see anger burning in the Generals face his features crunched into a scowl.


	9. Chapter 9

Kale looked down at Kershala's hand in his own he could feel his heart pounding in his chest as Anubis spoke about leaving the planet. It didn't bother him that the AI said that he was not it's concern, that was its programming, but he couldn't handle the thought of them leaving. With the tension that now sat in the room the next few minutes would determine their fate. Kale noticed the soldiers had their guns pointed at Kershala seemingly waiting for the order to kill him.

"We will not be held at the mercy of a machine," said the General. Kale could see him reaching for his gun. "Kill them!" Without hesitation Kershala pushed Kale against the wall at the same time kicking the table at the guards. Kale put his head down when their surroundings began to change, he looked again and could see that the simulation of Kershala fighting the Shiron to save his family was playing. The guards starting shouting and firing at the images being projected. He felt Kershala's hand on his arm and he was being pulled to his feet.

"Let's go!" he said. With the AI ahead of them they headed toward the door Officer Stanfield was cowered there. Kershala stopped and helped her up she looked at him with tears and fear in her eyes. "I am sorry, this was not what I wanted, but I cannot stay here like this." Kershala helped her against the wall.

"Kershala it is imperative that we search the Arktora's body," said Anubis with great urgency. They ran through the door slamming it behind them, and down the hall, Kershala stopped with Kale at the window.

"I will not risk Kale's life, we can come back for it!" Kershala slammed his fist through the window and fresh air started to blow in.

"There will not be another chance, if we leave here they will likely transport the body somewhere else, there is no choice. We must do this now!"

"Kershala we can go, I'll be okay, let's just do it!" Kershala looked at him with concern in his eyes. "Don't worry, nothings going to happen to me. I'm with you."

"Have you determined where it is?" asked Kershala turning to face the AI.

"I have scanned the facility and can lead us easily to it. There is a lab on the lowest floor, it is below where you were being held." The AI flew down the hall and turned a corner, there was a flash of light when Kale and Kershala took to running after it. Kale turned the corner last to see a guard laying on the floor Anubis had stunned him like it did the police officer. He grabbed the officers side arm from their body and looked up to see Kershala and Anubis already in the elevator. He checked the gun over as he joined them.

"I think these elevators are code locked, they don't move on their own," said Kale tapping a couple of buttons on the panel.

"I will deal with it." Anubis hovered over to the panel and performed a scan seemingly a second later the elevator began to move, the fourth basement level was lit up on the LED display. "From what I can tell this facility is minimally staffed to maintain discretion. There will only be medical staff and a team of 4 guards to deal with."

"Using that simulation back there was a good idea, but it was only temporary right? There's a good chance they know we are coming now," explained Kale. The elevator came to a stop and a red light came on above them. "I guess they know now."

"They have put the base on lockdown, but I can and will override their security measures." Anubis' lenses began flashing in sequence and the elevator began moving again before settling on the bottom floor. "We have arrived." The doors to the elevator didn't open on their own, Kale moved to push the button to trigger it when Kershala stopped him.

"Wait, the implant is showing that the four guards are waiting for us," he said putting his hand down in front of Kale to stop him. "Anubis you must create an illusion to provide cover for me. Kale you will stay here." Kale nodded, and the AI began to create an illusion filling the elevator with mist. Kershala guided Kale to the side of the elevator placing his hands-on Kale's hips pushing him to the wall, out of the potential line of fire. "Please do not endanger yourself." Kale was grateful for Kershala's protection, but he was also pretty sure of what was about to happen once that door opened.

"If they throw something, it's probably be an explosive," he said. Kershala went to the other side of the elevator before hitting the button and sure enough as the door opened a flashbang hit the floor. Kale shielded his eyes as it went off with a piercing bang that left his ears ringing. After the bang he opened his eyes and couldn't see Kershala or Anubis anywhere, they had both left the elevator leaving Kale literally in the fog. He got to his feet and looked out into the hallway in time to see Kershala put down the final guard. The fog subsided revealing the bodies laying on the ground. "Are they…"

"I did not kill them," said Kershala.

"Their weapons, you should destroy them," Kale advised. Each of the men was holding an assault rifle in their hands. Kale watched Kershala kneel and pick each of them up and break them in half. Anubis began down the hallway.

"We are close." They turned another corner and the AI floated over to a door with a card reader on it. "Humans have so many ways of locking their doors." Anubis scanned the reader and the indicator light turned from red to green, Kershala pushed the door open and Kale followed them in. As they entered they could feel the temperature drop a couple of degrees and Kale knew they were in a lab designed to keep frozen specimens in. They walked into the sterile room everything Kale would expect to find in a lab was here. In the center of the room there was an operating table fully stocked with all the tools used in an autopsy. Testing equipment and other medical equipment lined the room some of it Kale wasn't familiar with. As they walked deeper into the room they could see a mass of flesh sitting on a table behind a glass window leading to another room. "There." Anubis moved to the glass window, there was a high-pitched noise before the glass shattered and Anubis hovered over to the mass of flesh. Kale couldn't help but wonder that if things had gone a different way that Kershala might be lying on a table like this.

"How long will you need?" asked Kershala.

"Not long, but I will be collecting all relevant data. We have not had the opportunity to study the Shirona Arktora so closely," Anubis explained as it hovered over the body it's lenses projecting a scanning beam.

"I wonder where the medical staff is?" asked Kale as he stepped through the window.

"They have likely been taken to another part of the facility for their protection," explained Anubis. A strong odor filled the area as Kale stepped into the other room, it reminded Kale of a mixture of Sulphur and raw sewage.

"Does that thing ever stink, how much longer do you need," he said.

"You must hurry, we do not have much time before the rest of the facility is fully mobilized." Kale watched Kershala pace as Anubis continued scanning. Kale walked over to him and took his hand stopping his pacing.

"I can't wait to be outta this place." Kershala brought his hand to his mouth and lightly kissed the knuckle.

"I agree, I just want to be alone with you again," Kershala whispered against Kale's hand. Kale took Kershala's cheek in hand and went to kiss him.

"I have found the device!" Anubis interrupted the moment almost purposely. Kershala and Kale glanced at each other before heading to the remains. As they walked over the device ripped from the flesh pile and floated up with Anubis. It was only centimeters in diameter, to Kale it appeared to be some sort of crystalized material, it glimmered as the sterile lights hit its surface. "It is of crystallinear design." Kershala's look became that of concern at the mention of the word.

"What does that mean?" asked Kale, looking between the two of them.

"The data contained on this device is vast, it will take time to break its security, even for me," said Anubis.

"Okay, but let's worry about that later," Kale grabbed the device and put it in his pocket, "Let's get the hell outta here." Kale and Kershala hopped through the broken window with Anubis hovering behind them as they exited the room. They got out into the hall and Kershala put his arm across Kale's chest signaling him to wait as he went on ahead. The illusion had since subsided, and the hallway was clear.

"They are here," Kershala stopped at the corner.

"Anubis why can't you just stun them all?" asked Kale.

"It takes a while for me to configure the neuro disrupter. It is meant to be lethal, I must adjust its output slightly every time it is fired to prevent permanent damage." Kershala took his shirt off and threw it into the hall ahead of them, several gunshots went off and bullets collided with the cement wall behind it.

"Now might be a good time for it," said Kale bracing himself to the wall.

"Kershala, there is no way out of this compound that won't cost innocent lives. Stand down and maybe we can work something out." The generals voice rang throughout the hallway. Kershala looked at Kale trying to reassure him, Kale could tell by the look on his face he was not going to stay here another day.

"If you check your soldiers you will see that we have killed no one. My only intent is on our freedom." Kale realized that Kershala was only buying time as Anubis glided passed them and into the hallway ahead of them. Kale looked away and heard the familiar sound of what he learned was a neuro disrupter go off and heard at least five bodies fall to the ground. The two of them stepped around the corner to see the general and several other soldiers laying on the ground. They stepped over them and into the elevator, the door shut, and it wasn't long before they were on the top floor. "Kershala where do we go from here? Once we get out I mean?" Kale asked as they walked toward the window they would use to exit the building.

"We run, Anubis will eventually decrypt that device and we will have a ship again." Kale felt the pit in his stomach grow.

"So, is that it, you're just going to leave?" he asked, his voice shaking. He wasn't sure if he wanted to have the next part of the conversation. They arrived at the window that had already been broken, Anubis exited the building first and Kershala stopped to look at him. Kale tried to hide the fact that he was almost in tears.

"I cannot stay here, Kale. It puts too many innocents in danger, it is only a matter of time," Kershala paused and took Kale's hands, the base around them seemed oddly silent. "But I won't leave you behind unless you make me." Kale hadn't really considered that he could potentially go with them, thinking of his current situation, he'd likely be a fugitive the rest of his life if he remained on Earth. If he did manage to hide, then he'd likely just be a danger to anyone he was close to.

"Kershala, Kale! We must hurry!" said Anubis from the outside. Kale smiled at Kershala and both jumped through the window. The air was hot and muggy and, Kale thought of the time they'd been captive determining that it was likely the first week of July. Surprisingly they were ground level, Kale looked at their surroundings. He had just assumed that they would be at the base in Halifax, but he could see that just beyond the walled courtyard they were surrounded by trees. The wall that enclosed the yard was around twenty feet up, across from them Kale could see an unmanned security check point. They had likely called all the staff to deal with the break out. "I have been actively suppressing their attempts to contact the outside. No one beyond this facility knows what has happened. We must make our escape now."

"That looks like the exit over there." Kale pointed and the three of them walked to the checkpoint. The gates as Kale expected were locked. "Anubis can you unlock it, or do we have to break it down?" As he spoke Kale noticed the card reader for the lock on the side of the door. No sooner had he noticed it there had the reader made a strange sound as the door unlocked. Kershala pulled the door open and they stepped through finding themselves in a small parking lot. There were only two cars and a military vehicle present, Kale could see a very small unpaved road that lead out of the yard and seemingly into the forest. The picture that was starting to form before him was slightly unsettling. It was clear that the guards that had been watching them these passed weeks were permanently stationed here and, the vehicles present were likely those of Officer Stanfield and the two Generals. He shuddered to himself at the thought of what's gone on here in the past, considering everything they had seen.

"We should proceed on foot as to not be easily followed," Anubis spoke as it floated ahead of them and stopped, it seemed to be scanning the area.

"Let's check the cars, they might have keys," said Kale walking toward the vehicles parked by the wall. "We can take it a few miles and abandon it somewhere." Kale walked over to the closest car, a large black sedan, from looking at it he guessed it probably belonged to the general. He looked inside and could see that it was a keyless starter. "Here this one, Anubis you can probably hack it and unlock it." Anubis and Kershala joined him as he investigated it.

"Kershala?" Anubis spoke plainly and seemed to be hoping for its original plan to take priority.

"Unlock the vehicle," said Kershala walking around to the passenger side.

"This course of action is not in our best interest."

"I have noted your objection. Unlock the vehicle." Kale got tired of waiting, he picked a rock up off the ground from nearby and slammed it through the driver's side window. An alarm sounded from within the vehicle and Kale immediately opened the door and knelt under the steering wheel. He ripped a panel from under the dash and pulled a handful of wires from within shutting the alarm down.

"Never mind I'll just do it myself," he said clearly frustrated, "Kershala can you use your implant and tell me what wires lead from the starter to under here?" Kale pointed to the starter and lead his finger along the frame. Kershala opened the passenger door and entered the vehicle looking intently at the area Kale had designated. He reached across and indicated the wiring for Kale who began to hotwire the car, he used a sliver of the rock to cut the wires and began rubbing them together. Sparks jumped from the wires as he touched them together lightly a couple of times and the car started, the engine revving to life. He stood up and looked at the AI that had now moved closer to him and he held the door open. "You coming?" Kershala got comfortable in the passenger side of the vehicle and Kale sat down and shut the door the AI hovered in through the broken window. He quickly put the vehicle in gear and drove as fast and as safely as he could out of the lot and onto the road. "Hopefully there's no other check points." The path they were on was clearly man made the road clearly more gravel than actual dirt. It winded through the forest and as Kale drove no one spoke, the surrounding area was extremely dense forest, it was almost unnatural. The engine of the vehicle was quiet to the point that as they drove all they could hear was the tires on the gravel and the occasional debris hitting the bottom of the car.

"Does any of this look familiar to you?" asked Kershala glancing between Kale and the road.

"No, we're not where I thought we were at first. This doesn't look like any part of Nova Scotia I've been to. Certainly not near the HRM." Kale looked at the AI that hovered just above the dashboard between them, expecting it to chime in with something useful.

"The facility is not on any marked public maps," it said. Kale continued to drive for about an hour before they pulled out onto a paved road. He still had no idea where they were, but he figured they would start seeing road signs sooner or later. "Kale, can you please take out he device, I wish to interface with it to begin decryption." Kale reached into his pocket and pulled out the crystal glancing at it in his hand.

"Stay low try to be out of sight," said Kale placing the device in the cup holder. Anubis hovered down to it and sound emanated from it before a beam of energy connected the two devices. Kale could see smaller lights travelling back and forth between the two machines assuming it was information transferring between them. Kale continued to drive in silence debating on whether it was a good idea to confront Anubis about its sudden distain for him. As he drove it continued to be an area he didn't know. They hadn't come across any signs yet telling him where they might be, nor did he have anyway of figuring out where they were without a cell phone. "Anubis can you take a second and just figure out where we are, so I know where a good place might be to go hide?" Anubis flickered and the beam to the crystal shut off.

"We are approximately 4 hours west of Halifax. I will project a map that can show you how to get back to the city." As Anubis finished speaking it projected a map on the dashboard so that Kale could see where they are.

"Is it really a good idea to go back there?" Kale didn't think they'd want to be so close to the area that the fighting had taken place in, for fear of being recognized.

"It will be best for us to hide in plain sight. They will likely not suspect us of going back to your city."

"Alright, at least we can go to my apartment and get a change of clothes, that's if they haven't thrown all my stuff out yet. We should at least try to find another vehicle maybe in one of the small towns between here and there." Kale looked at the map and could see a couple of different small townships between where they were and Halifax.

"Stick to the back roads, I am able to monitor their communications and they are looking for us and have set up blocks. I will project a route that will lead us safely around them," said Anubis. Kale glanced from the map to the road and watched as a violet path was cut through the map for him to follow.

"Good, make sure you keep a listen on that mess. Let me know if anything changes." Kershala had been quiet for a while and Kale looked over at him to see him fast asleep resting his head against the door. Kale had been so tense as he drove the stolen car that he hadn't realized how tired he really was. It was only nine in the morning, but he hadn't really slept soundly since being in the facility. Often only sleeping two or three hours on the bad nights and five or six on the good ones. "At least one of us is getting a decent bit of sleep," he said to himself.

"The nanites are releasing a light anesthetic as they repair his damaged tissue. It can otherwise be quite uncomfortable," Anubis clarified. With Kershala seemingly out like a light Kale knew his opportunity was here.

"Alright time to come clean. What's your sudden problem with me?" asked Kale.

"What do you mean?" It irritated Kale that Anubis seemed to be playing coy with him.

"I mean back there when those guys were threatening my life, you seemed perfectly fine just letting them kill me." Kale did his best to keep his voice calm, but his resentment was beginning to come through. "After everything I did for you and Kershala for you to just throw me to the wind like that, like I didn't even matter."

"My duty is to protect Kershala, with him being the last known member of the family I was created to protect I must be willing to take extreme action should the situation require it," Anubis' voice seem to change to a calmer demeanor.

"Okay but you didn't strike me as the type of machine that was bound by programming. Quite frankly you don't seem that limited," Kale paused, "What changed, and you don't need to lie to me."

"Your romantic interest in Kershala is not acceptable." Kale glanced at the AI then Kershala than back to the road.

"Why isn't it acceptable? If it makes him happy then it should be acceptable, shouldn't it?"

"Kale, Kershala is of a royal line, eventually he must take a mate worthy of that. You must know that this is not personal but given my responsibility I cannot allow this to happen."

"I'm not going to just shut it off because you don't want us to be together. Hell, I don't even really know if he feels the same for me as I feel for him. He's not like any other man I've ever met before."

"I wouldn't have the objection if I had no reason to. Kershala cannot afford to be emotionally connected to a nonblood relative. He cannot put himself in a position where he can be compromised," the AI paused, "You are a liability, you cannot defend yourself and Kershala cannot afford to defend you. He has already risked himself for you once. Next time he may not come out of it." Kale stayed quiet, at least he had clarification and he could agree that it indeed was not personal. He couldn't help but be a little bit offended that the AI thought he couldn't defend himself. Maybe not like Kershala but he wasn't an invalid.

As Kale pulled the vehicle to a stop Kershala opened his eyes and sat up. It had been roughly an hour when they had run across a camp ground and pulled into the parking lot. They needed to ditch the car they were in and find another one. Kershala sat forward and looked around as Kale parked the car discreetly close to the trees.

"How'd you sleep?" asked Kale.

"Not well," said Kershala wiping his eyes. There weren't very many cars in the lot but there also wasn't anyone around to stop them from grabbing one of the vehicles there. He didn't like the idea that he was going to be stealing a vehicle but given their situation he didn't really see any other option. They had to avoid capture until Anubis could decipher the Shironian device and get the ship to get them out of reach.

"Anubis can you tell if there is any surveillance?" asked Kale as he tried to discreetly look around the area.

"I have detected a wireless receiver somewhere overhead. It has already been intercepted," answered Anubis.

"Okay I see one. Follow my lead." The three of them got out of the car, Kale walked over to a green sedan. "Anubis can you do something to break the glass?" Anubis floated over to the vehicle and emitted a quick sonic burst, the glass of the driver's side window shattered quietly, and Kale put his fist through it. The warm air inside hit Kale in the face as he leaned inside the car. It was a new vehicle and had keyless entry like Kale had hoped. "Can you start it?"

"Yes, I have also silenced the security system." Anubis floated in through the window and the vehicle started, Kale got in the car and looked around as Kershala jumped in the passenger side. As soon as he was in Kale didn't hesitate and quickly pulled out of the parking lot. Kale sat the crystal in the cup holder and Anubis again began the decryption process.

"Any idea on how long that's going to take?" asked Kale partially hoping that it would be awhile.

"I have only begun cataloging the data, there are zettabytes worth of data to channel through before the decryption process can begin. I also must bypass the security to ensure that the device does not wipe itself," explained Anubis, "I currently have no ETA on when it will be deciphered." Kale couldn't help but feel slight relief that it was going to be awhile before it was done. He knew once all that started happening things would get crazy, for now he just wanted to enjoy the calm. Even if they were on the run from the military.

"Man, I'm getting tired can you find us a place to pull over to get some sleep?" Kale's eyes were heavy from driving all morning and he knew it wouldn't be long before he was falling asleep at the wheel.

"There is a rest stop not far from here. It is registered as a Bed & Breakfast."

"That's great but we don't have any money," said Kale.

"Your currency system is very basic I can create an account and fill it with your currency. I can digitally manipulate your debit machines with no issue." Kale shook his head at how easy everything seemed with the AI around. An indicator on the map lit up signaling that the location he talked about was a half an hour away.

"We should be careful with this car it'll eventually be reported as stolen," said Kale. "Maybe we can drive by and park the car in the woods somewhere." Kale looked down at himself then back to the road. "There's also the problem of the fact that we look like escaped convicts in these cloths. Maybe we should just keep going."

"The AI can use holographic technology to hide our clothing based on how we dressed before we were captured," said Kershala adjusting himself.

"I never would of thought of that."

"As long as we stay close and don't move too quickly, it should not be a problem."

"I keep forgetting that you guys are used to staying hidden," Kale chuckled. It wasn't long before they drove passed what Kale was sure was the Bed & Breakfast, a rather large house at the end of a long wrapping driveway. There were no cars parked outside but he could see a couple of people moving around the property, most likely people who worked on caring for the large well-groomed property. "There must be a good place to hide the car somewhere here."

"My understanding of the way these places work is that it would be more suspicious to arrive without a vehicle. I will keep surveillance on the status of the vehicle report," said Anubis.

"That's true." Kale shook his head, he was starting to get fuzzy. "My brain's really not working as well as it could be. I think I'm more tired than I thought." Kale turned the vehicle into the yard and drove up the yard slowly. "Looks like no one else is here. Business must be slow right now."

"According to their booking computer there is no one booked until the weekend." Kale was starting to be surprised at how easy Anubis was hacking into everything now that it had access to the internet. They pulled into the parking area and Kale got out of the vehicle and suddenly his clothing changed to what he had been wearing when they had been taken in. Anubis floated out of the vehicle with the crystal and situated itself in front of Kale. It turned into itself into his phone and the crystal disappeared. "They have the system you refer to as tap available here for payment. Hold me to their payment machine and I will activate it." Kale shrugged and took the AI core disguised as his phone in hand. Kershala walked up next to him dressed in the clothing he had bought for him back before they came to his apartment.

"This is so weird," said Kale looking over himself. He couldn't even tell the difference in the clothing on his person until he touched it and the tips of his fingers disappeared inside the hologram.

"Shall we go," said Kershala. Kale could see a difference in Kershala that seemed to happen since they had escaped, something seemed more professional than before. Kershala smiled at him then beckoned for him to walk ahead of him. Kale obliged and walked ahead of him heading into the building. As they stepped into the building the smell of baked goods perforated the air, the entry way was welcoming, it was decorated to resemble an old-style home. The desk was just about ten feet in the door way and an elderly woman was minding it. She gave them a welcoming smile as they walked in and waved her hand at them to come in.

"Welcome come on in," she said cheerfully. The two of them walked over to the desk and she fiddled with her computer. "Would you like a room each or are you looking to be thrifty this trip?"

"We'll take a room together," said Kale.

"Okay," she clicked the mouse to her computer a couple of times, "one room and two beds it is boys." As the women typed into the computer Kale decided not to correct her thinking that all the way out here they may not be the most accepting of anything they considered an alternative lifestyle. "I'll need your name please." Kale and Kershala looked at each other, Kershala clearly caught off guard, Kale deciding to play coy.

"Let's put it under mine," said Kale smiling at the women, "it's Kevin Joba." Kale quickly made up the name in his head from a couple of different names he knew from his favorite band.

"Great and how will you be paying?" She typed in the information.

"Oh, it'll be debit, tap," Kale could only hope that he wasn't coming off as weird as he pulled his "phone" from his pocket. The women pointed to the debit machine in front of him and he held the phone to it half expecting it not to work.

"Great would you like me to show you to your room, or will you boys be heading back out for a little bit?" She asked as the transaction completed.

"Oh, we've been driving all night we'd like to nap for at least a few hours. Do you have any rooms that are particularly dark?" asked Kale. The women grabbed a key from behind her and walked out from behind the desk.

"All of our rooms have very heavy curtains, but I'll put you on the west end of house. Come with me." The women walked past them and through a door. They followed her, and the door led to the rest of the house, it had an almost Victorian feel to it. It was old but very well kept and Kale could tell it had been newly renovated. The women headed up a set of stairs that were just in the door and they followed her, Kale could see a sitting area in the other direction, likely where the restaurant portion of the building waited. "Are you boys hungry? You look a little haggard now that I've had a look at you?"

"Yes actually. If you could send up some kind of breakfast platter that would be great," said Kale as they stopped at the room.

"Absolutely, it'll be up in a half hour or so." The women smiled as she put the key in the door and unlocked the room. "My name is Edith, if you need anything let me know." She pushed the door open and passed the key to Kale. "Enjoy your stay."

"Thank you, Edith," said Kershala. The lady headed back downstairs, and they walked into their room, it was small but comfortable both of the beds were single, but Kale didn't care as he flopped down on the closest one and sank right into its softness.

"Oh my god, this is so nice after the beds they had us on at that place." Kershala sat down beside him as the hologram fell away from them. Kale looked at him, he was still shirtless after their escape, he reached up to touch his beard that had grown out over the time they were captive. "I'll give you a trim in the morning maybe eh?"

"I would like that," Kershala spoke quietly and leaned into Kale's hand kissing his palm.

"We should get cleaned up, wash away the smell of that place." Kale wanted to just jump on Kershala and follow through on everything that had been running through his head but after what Anubis had said he didn't want to come off as too forward.

"Yes, I agree, you can go first if you want," said Kershala.

"Okay." Kale laid still for a few seconds staring at Kershala before he sat up and stood from the bed running his hand along his face as he walked to the bathroom. The bathroom was quite luxurious, the shower and bath combo were a standalone tub with a clear glass shower door. He quickly undressed and got into the shower almost excited to be able to shower in something other than a room with a cement floor. He turned the water on and as the water hit him the cold woke him up he laughed quietly to himself as he moved out of the stream and waited a few seconds for the water to get warm.


	10. Chapter 10

Kershala sat back on the bed the AI and the crystallinear device floated just to the left of him the AI still linked to it. Kershala had been aware of the AI's conversation with Kale and wasn't happy that the it tried to discourage him from pursuing Kershala. It was Kershala's decision whom he would dedicate himself to and he wouldn't let an AI that was designed to serve him interfere with that. Through his implant he could tell that the AI was heavily engaged with the decryption process, but he didn't care.

"Are human's and Daoran's sexually compatible?" he asked getting to the point. The AI seemed to ignore him at first not answering him. "Did you not understand me?" Kershala repeated his question in Daira, their native language.

"I am sorry Kershala, I am heavily engaged with decryption," it answered.

"Then disengage, I require your compliance." The AI floated to be beside him, and the device fell to the bed gently as it disengaged with it. "I won't repeat myself again."

"My analysis of your physiology shows that it would be incredibly difficult to reproduce with a human. Though I cannot imagine why you would want to. They are clearly inferior creatures." Kershala scoffed at Anubis.

"I was awake when you were talking to Kale, Anubis. Do not interfere with my relationship with him," he said quickly.

"Kershala, your bloodline must be protected."

"I am not talking about bloodlines, I am talking about affection. I have not known such affections from a stranger before." The AI core floated up in front of him.

"He is just that, despite his affection for you he is a stranger. He doesn't know the responsibility you face for your people. You are best to spare both of your feelings so that neither of you end up hurt." Kershala looked away not wanting to hear what the AI was saying.

"You are wrong. I will be stronger because of his affection," Kershala paused and looked away, "Is there any risk of physical harm to either of us if…" Kershala trailed off and looked away feeling embarrassed. The AI stayed silent for several seconds.

"Not biochemically, but given the difference in your physical strength, there could be… complications." Kershala sat quiet for a few minutes thinking to himself.

"May I continue with the decryption process?"

"Yes." Kershala watched as the AI and the device linked together again and floated close to the ceiling. There was a knock at the door.

"Your breakfast is ready, gentlemen!" Edith's voice called from beyond the door. Kershala stood up and the AI shrouded him in his holographic disguise. He opened the door and the elderly women greeted him with a smile, she was pushing a cart with their meal on it. "Would you like me to leave the cart?"

"Yes please, I can take it," Kershala smiled at her. "Thank you."

"You're welcome and enjoy. Don't hesitate to let us know if you need anything." Kershala took the cart and she walked away as he wheeled it into the room. He hauled the cart into the room and shut the door he turned to see Kale come out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist. His hair had grown out longer since their time at the facility and Kershala liked the way it looked. His hair was flowing and loose, Kershala hadn't touched it in a while but he remembered that it was soft. His body looked strong for a human, his torso was solid and tight, though it had gotten a little looser recently. Kershala smiled at him and walked over to him. "The food is here. You should eat."

"And you should shower," Kale returned his smile. "I didn't wanna put those cloths back on right away." Kale shrugged and referred to the towel. The hologram fell away from him as he put his arms around Kales neck and rested into him. "Oh," Kale returned the embrace around Kershala's waist and rested his head on his shoulder, "You okay?" he asked. Kershala didn't say anything instead responding with a kiss on the cheek. Kale pulled back from him and caressed his face before giving him a peck on the mouth. "Go shower. Then we'll eat and get to bed."

"I am sorry, Kale," Kershala could feel warmth in his cheeks and turned his gaze to the ground.

"For what?" Kale bent to look him in the face.

"For getting you involved in all of this," Kershala wasn't sure if it was just because he was tired and hungry, but he could feel his emotional strength waning.

"I wouldn't change anything, if it meant," Kale paused, "meant not being around you." Kale gave him a gentle smile to reassure him. "We're both tired. Go shower, we have the rest of the day," Kale quietly laughed. Kershala had gotten to a point where he didn't want to walk away from him, he pulled him into another embrace and rested his head on Kale's chest. He listened to his heartbeat racing in his chest for several seconds. "Take a breath okay. I know it's been overwhelming the past few days with everything that's happened." Kale ran a comforting hand over Kershala's head and Kershala took a breath and tried to relax. Kale kissed his forehead before pulling out of the embrace. "Shower. I'm starting to sound like my mother."

"I am going." Kershala went into the bathroom, Kale had left the water running for him. He stripped out of the remaining clothing and got in the shower quickly. He searched around for something resembling the soap he had gotten used to using. He missed the sonic resonators of the Daoran city ships, water never seemed to clean quite enough. The resonators would bombard with high pitched sound waves that were beyond what anyone would be able to hear, unless they weren't functioning properly. He grabbed a small white bar of soap from the shelf in the tub and lathered his body rinsing at the same time. There was a certain excitement stirring in him that he had never felt before, he was sure it was love. He had experienced love all throughout his life, the love of his Matriarch, his Patriarch and the love of his siblings. This was different somehow stronger than any of those feelings before, he was sure this was what it was like to experience love for a mate. His oldest patriarch had discussed it with him once. Telling him that he would know the feeling easily because it would be unlike anything he had ever felt before. "It will make your soul sing" he could hear him saying in his head. Kale had quickly become that person to him and he didn't really know how to show him. During his upbringing he had never really had the opportunity to discuss what to do to attract a mate, his combat training was more important. Kershala sat looking at his feet as the water ran over the back of his head and over his face, he heard the door open.

"You making out okay?" asked Kale. Kershala didn't realize but he had been in the shower for a while just sitting alone with his thoughts and staring through the water.

"Sorry, I was lost in thought. I am okay." He turned to face Kale and he seemed to divert his eyes, Kershala didn't understand why Kale wouldn't look at him. "Is my body … attractive by human standards?"

"What kinda question is that? Of course, it is," Kale laughed.

"Then why won't you look at me while I am like this?" Kershala extended his arms presenting himself bare to Kale, who seemed to be passing him a towel.

"It's hard to explain." Kale seemed to give up and turned away from him. Kershala got out of the shower and turned the water off. Kale was draped in some kind of robe that he must have found in the room somewhere. Kershala wrapped himself in a towel and secured it around his waist before walking up and putting his arms around Kale. "You know how I feel about you. I don't really know how everything's gonna work out with us, but I'm pretty sure you want what I want. But from what I've seen I know you show your affection more intensely than humans do. I can't tell if we're just really good friends or …" Kale trailed off as he turned around and looked at Kershala.

"I have never had a mate before, Kale. I do not entirely know how to show that type of affection." Kale's eyes widened, and the implant was detecting that his heart was racing, Kershala was sure his body was reacting the same.

"Let's take it slow okay. We should eat, we will have more time to talk later." Kale's hand brushed his face and Kershala felt something in him jump. He wasn't sure if Kale was pushing him away or if he was just taking it slow like he suggested. He followed Kale out into the room where he had portioned the food onto plates for each of them. They sat on one of the beds and ate their food, the AI hadn't moved from its position above the bed still deciphering the device. The food they had brought him was much richer than what he had grown accustomed to since he had been on the planet. There were different types of fruit of all different colors, none of which he could recognize but his implant let him know that it was all safe to eat aside from residual traces of unrecognizable chemicals. Another of the items Kershala didn't recognize was some sort of cooked dough, it was sweet, and Kale seemed to enjoy it thoroughly. "Man, I haven't had pancakes in so long," he said as he took a mouthful from his fork. "These are made really well too." Kershala smiled at Kale as he chewed his food and took a bite himself. The two of them ate in quiet for several minutes getting through most of the meal. "We need to get some clothing. If anyone sees us in those we're going to stick out like a sore thumb," said Kale resting his plate on his lapsed gesturing to the clothing piled in the bathroom doorway.

"Is there somewhere we could go to buy some, like we did before?" asked Kershala.

"There's not really gonna be anywhere to do that around here. Even if there was we'd still have to interact with people to buy them." Kale paused appearing to be deep in thought. "Although I guess with Anubis around we could just use that hologram trick to get passed that."

"They are most likely watching your apartment so even if we get back there. It likely won't be accessible," Kershala theorized.

"Should be some houses along the way, people likely hanging clothing out on a clothes line somewhere. Just have to make it work I guess." Kale took a bite of one of the red colored fruit on his plate and looked to the window as he chewed, there were heavy drapes blocking the sunlight and view. Kershala stayed silent, he didn't want to think about their situation anymore for the time being. He could tell that Kale was stressed but truth be told he found it relieving that the people chasing them weren't likely to kill them even if they did catch them. It was a welcome change from his usual worry of being killed on sight or having someone he loved to be in immediate danger. "How're your wounds healing, those nanites finish repairing that internal damage?"

"They have all but finished the repairs to Kershala's muscle tissue and should be done shortly," said the AI.

"Will you be able to get your suit back? It'll be useful if we have to defend ourselves."

"The nanites will have to undergo a massive replication cycle and it will take time without an external power source. If we can access the vessel the Arktora brought itself here on we can likely remedy the situation quicker," Anubis explained. Kershala had grown tired of the AI injecting itself into their presence.

"Anubis," he said, "Please focus all of your efforts on decryption aside from the subroutines monitoring our pursuers surveillance of us." Kershala wanted to be able to have privacy with Kale. "Please also cease monitoring applications for my implant."

"Are you sure that is wise?" it asked.

"Do not question me please," said Kershala turning to face it.

"As you wish." Kershala could feel the AI disconnect from his implant and he was finally alone with Kale. Kale stopped what he was doing and looked at Kershala seemingly confused.

"You can do that?" he asked. Kershala smiled at him.

"Yes. Generally, the AI would only establish a connection with me when we were in the ship. It would take information from the nanites and my implant to take readings on my most recent mission or combat situation," Kershala explained.

"Then why's it been connected all this time?"

"It has not. Only when we are in proper proximity. For example, as I entered that burning house only my implant gave me the information I needed." Kale just shook his head and smiled at him before sitting his plate back on the tray.

"Man, that's enough for me." Kershala hadn't eaten his fill but decided to stop as he was satisfied, he placed his plate beside Kale's on the cart. "Are you sure you're done? You're looking a bit thinner since our time in there?"

"I am fine. I have eaten enough for now. I have never had this food before I do not want to over indulge." Kershala basically lied, if Kale was going to bed he wanted to go with him. Kale stood up and folded back the sheets on the bed he sat on and sat again. "Would you allow me to…". Kershala trailed off not sure if it was appropriate to finish the sentence. Kershala looked down at his hands suddenly overcome with loneliness he couldn't help but feel like Kale was rejecting him. He felt the dampness forming around his eyes and sniffled back the tears.

"Hey," Kale said softly he stood and walked over to him, "What's wrong?" Kershala shook his head and looked away feeling embarrassment for the first time in his adult life.

"I am sorry Kale. I do not know what is wrong I have never felt this before. I…".

"Should we bring the AI back online to see if something is wrong with you?"

"No," said Kershala quickly. "It is hard for me to explain." Kale took his face in his hands and made him look him in the eye.

"Just say whatever comes to mind, show me." Kershala didn't know what action to take next, the Jadak'tora would make things easier but with how tired he knew Kale was he wasn't sure of the side effects of it.

"I never want to be apart from you again," Kershala breathed. He could feel a tightness in his chest as another new emotion pushed its way through him, it was almost painful. He pushed forward and brought his hands up to Kale's face. He touched their foreheads together and the smell of Kale's clean skin perforated his senses causing his heart to race. "I have never felt anything this strong before." Kale slowly pressed his lips to Kershala's, Kershala felt an almost electric feeling move through him it wasn't long before his markings began glowing. He kissed Kale back and leaned back on the bed, violet light shining from his markings, something he had never seen happen before. Kale seemed to be staring at him.

"You're beautiful," said Kale in awe. "It's just like that night at the house." Kale referred to the first night Kershala performed the Jadak'tora on him. "I don't wanna be apart from you either." Kershala felt a rush of relief and the new emotion subsided he was starting to feel better. Kale took his hand and guided them onto the other bed, pulling Kershala to a position to lay on his chest. Kershala's towel fell away but neither of them reacted as he lay there with his head resting against Kale's heart. Kershala felt himself entering a calmed state and the light from his markings began to subside. "We need to rest," Kale whispered kissing Kershala on his head. Kale ran his hand down Kershala's arm in a comforting motion causing him to doze as the rest of the day's events caught up to him. It wasn't long before Kale's hand stopped moving and the two of them had fallen to sleep.

Kershala opened his eyes to a dark room, he couldn't tell what time it was, but he could tell that it was dark outside and the building around them was quiet. He was laying in the same position he remembered falling asleep in his head resting on Kale's heaving chest. Kale's arm had falling away from him and was hanging over the edge of the bed. The AI core was still engaged with the crystal-linear device and floated in the same spot he left it, there was a faint light emanating from the link it had established. Kershala's mouth was dry, he hoisted himself to his feet and went to the bathroom, he turned the water on and took a drink from the tap. He walked back into the room and looked at Kale laying on the bed. The robe he was wearing had fallen open exposing his fully bare body, Kershala looked down to realize that he had left the towel on the bed. Kershala had accessed information Anubis had obtained via the human internet regarding how a human pleased their mate. As he gazed at him he felt a yearning that he had never felt before that was overwhelming at first, but he began to realize that it was sexual desire he felt. He stepped to the edge of the bed and placed his hand on the top of Kale's left foot, the other hung over the side of the bed as he had shifted since Kershala stood up. Kershala felt the electric pulse move through his body again and his markings began to glow. After the sleep he had he was able to make sense of his emotions and was able to realize this was his body's natural reaction to sexual stimulus. He crawled on the bed and let his hand run up Kale's leg as he crawled to rest on him. He was still sleeping but Kershala was convinced that he wouldn't be for long. He bent down and pressed his lips on Kale's inner thigh just above his knee and began to travel up his body, letting his lips touch lightly on the way up. He brushed his hand over Kale's soft member causing him to twitch. Kershala continued to explore the creases around Kale's navel touching every few inches with his lips. He braced himself against the wall with one hand and cradled his cheek as his kissed the nape of his neck, and eventually found himself pressing his lips to Kale's ear. Kale responded pushing his ear into him as he came to. Kershala felt his hands caressing his legs and slowly moving their way up stopping at his bare haunches. He felt Kale swell beneath him with arousal. Kale pulled to the side and looked at him, in the dim light Kershala could see the yearning in his eyes.

"Are you sure this is right?" he whispered.

"It is only right, with you," Kershala whispered back. Kershala brought his hand up to Kale's and braced himself against Kale's body. Kale shifted slightly then entwined Kershala in his arms aggressively locking their lips together. Before he could react, Kale plunged his tongue into Kershala's mouth encircling his own. Kershala could feel himself becoming undone at Kale's gentle, yet unrelenting assault on his body. He let out a whimper and Kale pulled back to meet his gaze. A faint violet light reflected in his eyes and Kershala could feel a warmth pulse through his face.

"Your pupils, they're glowing," he whispered. Kershala knew this only meant his body had basically reached full sexual readiness. "Beautiful." Kale kissed him again and gripped his hips. Kershala reached down beneath him and held Kale's erect member in his hand, he positioned them both to allow for sexual alignment. He guided Kale at first their eyes transfixed to each other removing his hand before surrendering his body to him. He hesitated at first before leaning back against the bed board and guiding Kershala down onto his body. Kershala felt Kale penetrating him as he lay claim to his body, at first, he inhaled deeply, light pain followed by the sensation of pleasure. Kale moaned faintly cradling Kershala with his arms and patiently entered him. Kershala trembled with pleasure as Kale's thrusting became more rhythmic, he felt an uncontrollable urge to tighten his grip and put his hands on the headboard. He let go of his restraint and felt the wood crush under his grasp. Kale seemed startled and stopped, looking from his hands that still gripped the wood to his face.

"I am sorry," Kershala panted before smiling at him.

"Don't be sorry." Kale smiled before he leaned forward and kissed him. "Put your arms around me," he instructed. Kershala let out a breath and wrapped his arms around Kale's neck not sure what to expect. Kale wrapped one arm around the base of his back and without breaking their connection Kale laid Kershala onto his back and positioned himself on top of him. Kale leaned down and kissed him with one of Kershala's legs resting on his shoulder. Kershala let his arms fall behind his as Kale now towered over him. Sensations rushed through his body with each plunge Kale took, coupled with the silken feeling of Kale's lips on his skin he felt himself coming apart. As he leaned forward Kershala could feel sweat drip from his body and land cold on his skin. Each push became more carnal and Kale let out a growl before lifting Kershala's other leg to his shoulder, he took Kershala's hands in his and pinned them back behind his head and groaned. He bent down and sucked on Kershala's neck as he began pummeling him with relentless lust. Sweat ran down Kale's body and dripped over them both as the act continued and Kershala could feel an unfamiliar pleasure building in him. "Oh my god," Kale growled and released Kershala's hands wrapping his arms around him, Kershala encircled him and they began to kiss, Kale once again ravishing him with his tongue. This was enough to throw Kershala into a full explosion, as the feeling of gratification hit him he could feel a wetness from within, he exhaled slowly his chest quivering. Kale's rhythm slowed and after only another thrust or so he pulled himself from Kershala his body convulsing as he climaxed. Kale collapsed on top of him in weakness and the two of them laid still for a moment in silence. The glow from Kershala's markings and pupils had subsided. "I can't even put it into words."

"You do not have to." Kershala brought his hand up and rubbed the back of his head. "I do not know what came over me Kale, but I could not resist you. I had to act on it. It is what I was feeling before we went to bed, but I did not understand what was happening to me."

"Wait what?" Kale hoisted himself on one arm and looked at him.

"I have never … been mated before." Kale brought Kershala's hand to his mouth and kissed his fingers.

"Thank you for trusting me." Kale sat up and looked around the room. "I guess we should get cleaned up. Figure out our next move?"

"Okay." Kale stood up and pulled Kershala to his feet, both went into the bathroom Kale turned the shower on to get it to temperature. "I am sorry for the mess. I did not know my body would react like that."

"It's okay, bodily functions aren't something to be sorry for. Especially considering the lead up," Kale laughed quietly. "How come you didn't know about that though? Considering the Daora they must have some kind of sexual education."

"As I reached the age where it would have been applicable, combat training took precedent. I remember conversations about love with my oldest Patriarch. I can recall some of his words." Kale climbed into the shower and beckoned to Kershala to join him.

"Oh yeah, what did he tell you?" Kershala crawled into the shower it was big enough for both to be in the stream of the water. Kale was facing him as the water hit them both washing away the evidence of what they had just experienced. Kale smirked at him and rubbed his chest as he waited or a response.

"He said I would know it when I felt it. That it would make my soul sing." Kershala looked down at himself as he spoke and watched the dilute violet color flush from his skin and drain off with the water. Kale smiled at him and kissed him on the nose.

"So, all that confusion you were feeling earlier, was that caused by sexual excitement."

"I think I was having a hard time processing it because I was so tired, and I'd never felt it before." Kershala stepped forward into the water more to rinse the sweat from his body.

"Jeez, so you've never even masturbated?" Kershala looked back at Kale confused. "Um, hm. Pleasured yourself before?" Kershala stayed quiet not really understanding the question. "Never mind." Kershala felt Kale put his arms around him and pull in close to him. "I'm glad we finally have time to just be together. Even if it is on the run." Kershala took a step back and Kale stepped further into the water.

"It is what I am used to." Kershala stepped out of the shower, satisfied that he had sufficiently rinsed himself. It wasn't long before Kale followed. They each grabbed a second towel and dried off eventually ending up in the second bed, the other still damp from their encounter. They now laid on the bed with the AI floating above them the gentle light illuminating the room enough for them to see each other. "Should we stay for a while longer. We should move under the cover of darkness. It will be less likely that we will encounter resistance." Kershala touched the back of his ear, he felt it was a good time to reconnect with the AI and have it analyze the situation. "Anubis, please resume normal function." Kershala could feel the AI reading from his implant and the nanites. "Please update us on our pursuers." The AI stayed quiet and Kershala knew it was because of his and Kale's actions. "Respond."

"Our pursuers have not changed their tactics though they have more security check points than before. It should not be difficult to avoid them," it explained. "Would you like an update on the device?"

"Yes."

"I have succeeded in decoding approximately fifteen percent of the information contained therein. When the time comes we should be able to use the ships teleportation device, and have it pull us from this planet."

"Any chance you could do that before we get full control of it?" asked Kale.

"There is always a chance." They were quiet for a moment as Kershala thought about having to use a Shironian ship to escape. The thought made him uncomfortable. "Kershala I would like you to know that I am noting my formal objection to your actions regarding the sexual interaction with the human in our formal log."

"It is noted. You are no longer permitted to discuss it as relevant to our situation. Is the route to the city clear?" Kershala ordered.

"If you leave now you would arrive at the city in two hours. It is best to travel at night. Once we get to the city we should decide where we wish to stay until I am able to decode the device." The AI continued without missing a beat. Kershala thought more about their situation and wanted to make sure that in the future Kale would be able to assist them in combat.

"I would like to train you," he said turning his attention to Kale, "I want you to be able to defend yourself if for some reason I am not around. I know you are trained in self-defense, but you need to be combat ready, defense is not enough if you ever find yourself facing a Shironian."

"Sounds like a good use of our time once we find a place to practice," said Kale.

"We won't need space. I can train you with the Jadak'tora as my patriarchs taught me."

"That could prove to be dangerous, given your inexperience with the ritual, Kershala," said the AI.

"I will access training from your database on the subject as we travel," said Kershala getting a sense that the AI didn't want him to train him. Kale stood up and put on the clothing from the facility.

"Alright, well let's get on the road then, it's ten o clock. Should be able to slip out without anyone noticing us. But maybe throw up that hologram just to be sure," he said sliding the shirt over his head.

"I agree." Kershala stood up and put on his pants. The AI core hovered over to Kale and generated the hologram turning into his cell phone. Kale hesitated but took it in hand.

"You should leave these people a tip, if nothing else they're gonna need to replace that headboard," said Kale. The smile on his face suggested he may have even been mocking the AI.

"It is done," it said. Kale opened the door slowly and walked out into the hall quietly, Kershala followed him silently and they made their way down the stairs and out into the yard. Their movement causing a sensor light to trigger, Kale stopped seemingly startled by the light. "There is no surveillance present go to the vehicle." They got in the car and the AI started it, it pulled slowly out of the yard and back onto the road. There were still no cars present in the parking lot and the surroundings dark with night. The moon was high in the sky, the only thing aside from the car lights creating any light in their surroundings, Kershala sat low in his seat to keep passersby from seeing he had no shirt on and delved into his research.


	11. Chapter 11

Refreshed from the food, the sleep and the sex, Kale had an easy time making the drive from the bed and breakfast back to Halifax. They had gotten lucky along the way and found a donation bin beside a second-hand shop that had plenty of clean clothes to choose from. They had each been able to throw together a couple of outfits to keep them until the AI was able to decrypt the Shironian device. Even in his current situation, on the run from the military, likely thought to be dead by his family, homeless, Kale couldn't help but be happy with himself. He and Kershala had finally been able to express their affection for each other even escalating to an intense physical encounter. He looked over at Kershala briefly as he drove and smiled, he seemed to be deep in thought and hadn't said much since they had gotten the clothing. Although he had reached out and taken his hand a couple of different times only to get distracted in his thoughts and pull away. They had made it to the outskirts of the city, admittedly staying away from the highway made it slightly difficult for Kale to get his bearings and decide how to get into the city.

"They have roadblocks set up at all of the major highway entrances, I will adjust the path to take. I have also found an abandoned building I believe to be a suitable hiding place," Anubis advised. Kale was slightly apprehensive now that the AI had made its intentions clear on he and Kershala's relationship. He could only hope that when the time came it would follow Kershala's orders and not act on its own accord.

"I still don't really have a good idea of where to go," said Kale. The route they had ended up on had taken them to an old road in. "Must be an abandoned building we could take advantage of."

"I have marked a building on your map. It is an abandoned building downtown with easy roof access that we should be able to go undetected in." Kale looked at the map, he was familiar with the building. It was one that had been the site of several failed restaurants and other business over the last few years he had been in the city. It was only ten minutes from their current location.

"Where should we ditch the car when we get there? Eventually the stolen vehicle reports are going to connect right?"

"We simply park it by the water and make our way back to the building," said Kershala looking at the map. "We can erase any trace we were in the vehicle when we decide to leave it."

"So, I'll head to waterfront. It should be mostly quiet at this time of the night anyway." Kale realized that he really had no idea what day it even was. Since being at the facility he had no idea what day they woke up and were never given a calendar for reference. "Anubis, any idea what calendar day it is?"

"It is a Wednesday July 13, according to your yearly calendar." The answer took Kale by surprise, even though he knew he was in the facility for at least a month. The fact that that much time had passed really put everything into perspective. He wondered what his friends and family thought happened to him or what they had been told. He decided that for now it was best to put the thought out of his head as he took the turn to the downtown area. The building he was looking for was on Gottingen Street, he couldn't help but think that it was a great place to hide there was more than enough activity in the area to keep the heat off them. He pulled into an old parking lot, there were a few other cars but no activity in the area.

"This should be a good spot to leave the car," he said as he shut it off. As the engine went quiet the AI dispelled the image of the map he had been using and floated over to Kershala dropping the device in his hand. "Did you say this building had a rooftop entrance?" he asked as they filed out of the vehicle. Kale grabbed the suitcase they had taken with their new clothing from the trunk of the vehicle.

"Yes, there is a fire escape on the back of the building."

"I will lead us to it, the directions have been synced to my implant," said Kershala walking ahead of them. They only walked a block in the empty street before they were at their destination. It was a large empty building that had once been an oddities museum. They walked around to the back of the building being careful to make sure no one seen them or followed them and there was indeed a very old fire escape that led to a sealed off top floor. "I do not see any alarm systems to worry about."

"Doesn't look too sturdy. You'll catch me if I fall right?" Kale winked at Kershala as he walked passed him and started up the ladder.

"Every time," Kershala smiled and jumped high enough to grab the side of the building and pulled himself to the roof.

"Show off," said Kale to himself as he climbed the rest of the way to the top. As he got to the top he found Kershala standing at a door waiting for him. "What are you waiting for, let's open it up." Kale walked over to the door and grabbed the handle, he gave it a shove and could feel the door give a small amount of leeway. "I can't tell if it's blocked or sealed." He gave it another shove and this time the door opened but not all the way. Kershala walked over and effortlessly pushed on the door, as it opened there was the sound of something scraping along the floor. They walked in and the AI took flight from Kershala's hand shining light into the open room. Kale shut the door behind them as they entered. Dust floated in front of the light from the AI core which showed several cardboard boxes and furniture that was covered in plastic sheets that bared a layer of dust as well. "At least there's furniture." Kale took a step in, walking around the boxes and sat the suitcase next to the couch. He could see that there was plenty of space to clear an area for them to make a bit of a living space out of. "Help me clear these boxes out of the way." Kale picked up one of the boxes and stacked it on top of another that sat in the corner. "Is there any way to get power up here?"

"My implant can see that there is energy being provided." Kershala picked up a couple of boxes and sat them in the corner. "We will need a decent amount of space if we are going to take part in the training."

"I thought you were going to use the Jadak'tora to train me," said Kale moving another couple of light boxes.

"I can use it to give you the knowledge, but we will need to spar to teach the practical application." Kershala stopped moving and began looking at the boxes that were scattered around, Kale could tell he was using the implant to scan them.

"Any floor lights in any of those?" he asked. Kershala stayed quiet and continued moving from box to box. Meanwhile Kale walked to the covered furniture and removed the plastic from it. Luckily there was no sign of mice in the vicinity and everything seemed to be relatively clean under the plastic sheaths. Kershala bent down into one of the boxes and pulled out a table light, he walked over to Kale with it in hand. "That'll have to do. Hopefully it still works," said Kale taking it in hand.

"I have analyzed the components. It will work." Kale looked the object over, it was small, and the design was a little morbid, decorated with a skull motif.

"Now just need a plug. Keep clearing a space I'll take a look around." Kale paced the area taking a good look along the wall, he'd hoped to find something close to where they were clearing so they wouldn't have to adjust their set up by much. Luckily right beside the couch there was an outlet. "This is turning out to be a pretty good set up. Needs a bit of a dust up but otherwise," Kale paused and looked around, "cozy."

"I doubt we will be here long enough to make it worth doing too much cleaning up," said Kershala as he sat the last couple of boxes out of the way. Kale plugged the light in and flicked it on. It seemed to stutter at first then turned on casting a light on most of their surroundings and casting shadows on the rest. Kale looked around at the walls, they were plastered with graffiti of all different colors and shapes. A sort of urban mural seemed to cover the length of the entire right wall. He couldn't imagine whose storage everything would belong to, but he was grateful for it. Kershala sat down on the couch and watched him intently waiting for him to join him. The AI core had reengaged with the device and hovered on the opposite end of the chair. "Join me, we should get started before you get too tired. The information you will be taking on will be a lot."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" asked Kale. He couldn't help but think of the previous experience he had with the Jadak'tora last time they engaged. Kershala passed him a comforting smile.

"Do not worry, I have done extensive research via my implant and access with Anubis. It should be much more … pleasant than last time. Though it may cause you to tire," explained Kershala. It still baffled Kale that he was able to absorb information so quickly via the implant, it was like he was able to learn almost anything just by having the AI download it first.

"I know you wouldn't do it if you weren't sure, I just needed to hear the full version." Kale walked to the couch and took a seat next to Kershala. Kershala took his hand and smiled at him, he raised Kale's hand to his mouth and kissed his palm before placing it to the implant. This time Kale could instantly tell the difference as his arm started to feel a subtle tingle instead of full on numbness. It was certainly more restrained and more comfortable to experience this time. He watched as Kershala's markings began to glow through his clothing.

"Close your eyes," Kershala said softly. The sensation traveling his arm became more intense while still not uncomfortable the feeling was strange and completely unfamiliar to him. Kershala closed his eyes and tightened his grip on Kale's hand holding it firmly to the implant. Kale closed his eyes as well and this time while there was no pain there was a strain on his mind as Kershala completed the bond between them. This time there was no void, he found himself standing in a large field. As he looked around it was clear to him that it wasn't on Earth. What he perceived as grass beneath his bare feet was blue, he could see large mountains off in the distance and the colors over the horizon were almost inexplicably alien. Everything around him was much clearer than the previous bond he had experienced he felt emotions move through him, but he seemed to be entering an almost Zen state when he heard the grass ruffle behind him. He instinctually turned to face the noise as he realized he also had control of himself and he wasn't only an observer anymore. It was of course Kershala behind him. He looked vaguely different and was dressed in a silken garb adorned with hues of blue and purple that seemed to lay on his masculine form definitively. He could only assume this was Daoran training garb. Kershala smiled at him and reached out taking his head in his hands. Kale suddenly had the feeling of falling backwards and he was in a different location. An older Daoran and what Kale could tell was a young Kershala were training, the older Daoran made eye contact and suddenly Kale was in front of him beside the younger Kershala. He no longer had control of his body as it mimicked the combat training Kershala was undertaking.

"Keep your mind clear," the elder man said loudly, "You may not always be able to beat an enemy with your strength, your mind may be your only hope." Kale felt the sudden urge to blink and as he did and reopened his eyes he was again in a different setting. He could see what he was sure a teen-age version of Kershala pinned to the ground by a Shironian soldier. Out of nowhere a man in a similar nanite suit to Kershala's appeared behind the soldier and put his fist through its chest before throwing it to the ground. The nanites peeled back and revealed another man who looked to be about forty, he reached down to help Kershala to his feet. Kale was surprised to see Kershala slap the man's hand away and jump to his feet. He could tell he was angry seemingly throwing a teenage temper tantrum of some kind.

"Why would you do that!" he screamed. Kale had never seen such anger in a young person before. Pure rage seemed to seep through every feature on Kershala's young face. "I had it under control, you ignorant pishar!" Kershala got in the older man's face as he continued to growl at him. "I was just about to finish that …" Kale felt a flush of rage come over him when suddenly the man grabbed Kershala by the neck and pinned him to the ground with great ease. Oddly as Kershala hit the ground Kale found himself looking up at the man whose eyes were intense, those of a father who had just been shown great disrespect.

"You must show modesty when faced with impossible odds, you are not the only one to suffer should you be defeated for your own stubbornness!" Kale struggled under the man's grip but could not free himself. "The battle is over." Kale felt the anger subside and the sensation of floating took him over as his surroundings changed again, his feet touched the ground and this time he was standing in a small room the elder man sat on the bed in front of Kershala. Kale seemed to be standing to the right of them. Kershala was still wearing the same clothing from the previous memory and Kale could see the sadness in his eyes as the older man spoke.

"Yailar told me of your fight… and the battle," he started. Kale felt suddenly anxious like he was as a teenager whenever one of his parents would have a disciplinary talk to him when he found himself in Kershala's place.

"Gaban, I could have saved myself if he only gave me a chance," he cried.

"You must never show disrespect such as this to someone who cares for you so. If they have proven their dedication to you, then you must trust that they have your best interest at heart. You should thank Zarai that you still have family that cares for you, so many of the children of the Daora cannot say the same right now." The elder reached out and rested a hand on his shoulder and pulled him into a fatherly embrace.

"I am sorry, Gaban…" Kale heard Kershala's voice say. Everything around him suddenly vanished, he could feel his motor control coming back to him as Kershala gently severed the bond. He opened his eyes and was sitting back in front of Kershala again on the old couch. His eyes were misty from the final memory Kershala had imparted to him and he wiped at his eyes before looking up and smiling at Kershala.

"Those were intense," he said quietly. Kershala lowered Kale's hand from the implant and the glowing had stopped, Kershala held Kale's hand on his lap.

"Those three memories," Kershala paused and looked at their hands before looking back to Kale and finishing his sentence, "were the memories that formed the foundation for my combat training."

"Wow, those men, your father and your grandfather?" said Kale, thinking of the men brought him a sinking sadness in his chest.

"Yes, my Gaban, was the wisest man I've ever known. His son, Yailar was the greatest warrior that my family had birthed in generations." Kershala smiled and almost seemed to be somewhere else, Kale could only assume him to be reliving fond memories.

"Is that the start of my training? I see the significance to you and imparting those lessons is beautiful, but is that really all you are going to show me tonight?"

"That is not how it works, stand up." Kershala pulled Kale to his feet and they stepped a couple feet away from the couch. "The first level of the combat training has been transferred to you along with my memories, we just have to wake it up." Kale watched as Kershala took up a combat stance. "Do not worry it will be like you are fighting an equally skilled human." Kale couldn't help but feel nervous after having witness how fierce a warrior Kershala could be. Without warning Kershala came at him and it was suddenly like Kale wasn't in control of his own body. As Kershala threw his fists and feet Kale almost instinctually knew how to counter it. After blocking and countering several attacks Kershala pulled back and Kale saw his opening, the training awakening. He threw a punch which Kershala blocked with one arm as he did an instinct kicked in. Kale brought his other into an uppercut catching Kershala's chin, causing him to bend his neck back.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" said Kale stopping what he was doing and walking over to Kershala. Before he knew it, a foot sweep was his answer and he fell to his back he stopped himself from landing too hard and rolled to the side as Kershala brought a knee down toward him. He jumped to his feet and swung around with a kick which Kershala dodged. After a few rounds back and forth Kale found himself winded, he knew how to fight but his endurance still left something to be desired. He bent over with his hands on his knees, he felt like he had just put in a good cardio work out, and he was almost as sweaty. "Okay, I need to stop for a bit." Kershala stood down and sat back down on the couch. "I can't believe how second nature all that was." Kale dropped on the couch beside Kershala again.

"You did very well. You even lasted longer than I thought you would," said Kershala. Kale couldn't help but notice the slight excitement in his voice. "I am so glad to be able to share my experiences with you." Kershala smiled at him. "When I first came to you, I felt so alone, now we are here. After I lost my family, Kale, I did not think I would truly ever be happy again." Kale felt his heart sink in his chest as Kershala spoke, it had been a very long time since he had this kind of feeling. A kind of infatuation.

"You're so cute." Kale smiled back and leaned in to kiss him, letting it linger for several seconds before sitting back on the couch. "Should we finish setting the place up and maybe go get some food? We're going to need to eat out pretty regularly without a proper fridge." Kale thought about the options in the area and they were numerous, café's, restaurants both fast food and fancy, and grocery stores, were all in the area. "I don't really know how to go about this…"

"What do you mean?" asked Kershala.

"Well I think even now that we have proper clothing we're going to stick out. Anubis has to devote itself to decryption I'm assuming so it won't always be able to go with us to hide your markings or eyes with holograms."

"I will just have to stay here while you go."

"You should also look into securing another communication device," said Anubis hovering over in front of them. "I can use the device to give you access to the account I have created. As well as give you the ability to wirelessly detect and deactivate surveillance if you need to."

"A limited version of my implant," said Kershala in agreement. Kale walked over to their suitcase and pulled on the zipper, he could see why it was in a donation bin as he fought to get the positioning right for the zipper. As it clicked he opened the case and pulled out the hooded black cardigan he found in the bin and pulled it on.

"I'll just go get something at the twenty-four-hour grocery story down the street. With this on they shouldn't be able to get a clear shot of my face even if there are security cameras." Kale put the hood up and it completely shrouded his face. "Anubis you'll have to come with me at least this time until we can get that phone your talking about." Kale walked toward the door and stopped at the exit. The AI core floated over to him and he took it in hand. "It's only a few minutes down the road, I'll be back soon."

"Anubis warn me if anything goes wrong," said Kershala as he got off the couch and walked over to them. Kershala leaned in and kissed Kale on the cheek. "Come back to me." Kershala whispered in Kale's ear and his breath made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

"Don't do that right now," he laughed pulling away. "I'm leaving, that's mean." Kershala smiled at him as he pulled the door open, he gave Kershala a final glance before stepping outside and pulling the door shut behind him.

Kale stepped out on to the roof and the warm night air hit him causing him to realize how stuffy their little hide out actually was. He walked across the roof and headed down the fire escape, through the alley and out onto the sidewalk. The street was well lit and aside from one other person walking in the opposite direction on the other side of the street he was the only sign of movement. As he walked he could see the lights from the store he was going to down the road and it wasn't long before he was walking across the parking lot. There were several cars in the lot most likely he figured would be the night shift crew but also a few customers. He kept his head down as he walked into the store the brightness of the fluorescent light was blinding. He considered the fact that he hadn't been in a grocery store for well over a month. He grabbed one of the baskets and made his way through the aisles grabbing stuff he figured would be easy to keep without refrigeration or even a whole lot of storage. Notably he grabbed a couple four liters of bottled water, bread, peanut butter, and an abundance of prepackaged foods that he thought would be sustaining, canned fish and chicken, hummus and cracker snacks, and protein bars. He checked over his basket and grabbed some disposable dishes and cutlery before he made his way back to the storefront and stepped up to the self-checkout.

"Perfect." He tapped a couple of buttons on the touch screen and began scanning his items. The automated voice from the teller told him the prices of each item as he scanned it, finishing off with the water he ran it over the scanner.

"Error, please wait a teller is on the way!" The machine seemed louder this time when it spoke.

"Dammit, I don't need a teller. Shit," Kale whispered in frustration as a young woman walked over to him.

"What were you trying to scan?" she asked.

"Just the water didn't go through." Kale looked at her and felt the color leaving his face, it was his ex-fiancé.

"Kale is that you?" The women moved to get a better look at his face, he didn't want to seem like he was trying to avoid her, so he didn't stop her from seeing him. "I heard that you were killed when that thing attacked the citadel. I thought I saw an obituary." Kale was stunned, he didn't know what to say to her. It was good information that the people who captured them created a cover up story to say he was dead. It was even worse that it was the ex that he had the worst kind of break up with that would recognize him. He hadn't heard from or seen Alana in a long time, he had no idea that she was working in the area or how long she had been back in the city. The last he had heard of her was that she moved back with her family in Ontario. The worst part is that it was a terrible break up and he wouldn't consider anything to do with her amicable. Now he had no choice but to try and cover his tracks.

"Um, no. Who'd you hear that from?" he asked. He tried his best to sound normal, but he was sure he was failing. "When did you get back in the city?" He jumped to the next question hoping she would ignore his demeanor. He hoped that she was still as caught up on herself as she used to be.

"Oh, I've been back for almost a year," she answered taking Kales bait.

"A year?" Kale couldn't help but feel like he had just been slapped across the face. They were almost married, and she didn't even bother to contact him. He hadn't changed any of his contact information. "What for?"

"I came back to finish university." She smiled at him as she entered a code at the machine to scan the bottled water. Kale had paid for the first half of her university. With his nervousness and being caught so off guard he couldn't tell if she was saying this to be legitimate or if she was trying to get a dig in at him.

"Your total is eighty-three dollars and seventy-three cents." The automated voice on the machine chimed in disrupting the conversation. Kale pulled out the AI core that had already assumed it's disguise and passed it over the payment system.

"Well, I'll see you around." Kale smiled at her and quickly grabbed his stuff to leave.

"Is that it? I don't even get a hug? I know we weren't on great terms, but I still like you." Kale felt a burning feeling in his chest something he had grown all too familiar with around her.

"I'm seeing someone, he makes me pretty happy actually." Throughout the course of their relationship Alana constantly berated him over potentially leaving her or cheating on her with a man.

"Oh," she spoke rather curtly. "Well have a good night." Kale turned quickly from her and headed for the door, he could hear the familiar tone is her voice telling him she was disappointed in him. It had become something he heard regularly toward the end of their relationship and something about it still shook him to the core when he heard it. He exited the store and walked over to the side of the doorway just out of view. He sat the groceries down and bent down with his hands on his knees breathing heavily.

"Man, that was weird. Can't believe she's back in town." Kale took a couple of breaths to try and shake the anxiety she caused him.

"Kale, should I alert Kershala? You seem distressed," observed Anubis.

"No, I'm okay. She's just got an effect on me and I hate it." Kale took a deep breath and exhaled, he picked up the bags and started walking again. It wasn't long before Kale was back at the hide out. He walked in the door to see Kershala had moved several boxes back out of the way. There was a couple of blankets set up on the floor that weren't there before. The AI hovered to the device and hovered still above the couch. Kale walked in an sat the bags down on the chair. "I mainly got non-perishables won't taste the best, but it'll keep without a fridge." Kershala walked over and greeted him with a kiss.

"I'm sure it will be good enough. I found some blankets in a box to make a place for us to sleep," said Kershala beckoning to the makeshift bed. Kale followed Kershala to the bed and they sat on the floor by the couch taking the bottled water with them. Kershala gave him a strange look after taking a drink.

"Does it taste weird? Sometimes the plastic bottles may taste a little…"

"No," Kershala interrupted, "It's not the water. Are you okay? Something is different in you." Kale was caught off guard by the question. He still felt off after his encounter in the grocery store, but he didn't feel physically different as would likely show up on Kershala's implant.

"I'm okay. Just saw someone who used to mean a lot to me," said Kale, "Do you remember when I talked about the woman I shared my place with?"

"She was at the store?"

"Yeah, I…" Kale trailed off thinking over how she made him feel.

"Do you still have feelings for her?" Kale wasn't sure if Kershala was jealous or just asking.

"Not at all, she just made me feel how I used to feel around her…" he paused looking at his hands before looking back up at Kershala who was staring at him almost intently. "Small, she makes me feel small." He couldn't think of another word to express the feelings he experienced.

"You are not small, Kale." Kershala's soft smile made him feel better than he felt it should of, he couldn't help but smile back as Kershala reached out and rubbed his neck. They each had something to eat from the snacks Kale bought and decided to bed down for the night. The light went out and Kale laid with his arm firmly wrapped around Kershala's chest and pulled him in close to him. He could feel that Kershala was drifting into sleep and it wasn't long before he joined him.


	12. Chapter 12

It had been a couple of days since they landed at their hiding spot and Kale's training had been going well. They had used the AI to create several holograms for him to fight instead of sparing together. Kale had been to a store to pick up a new phone that Anubis had converted to a limited version of Kershala's implant like they had discussed. Kale was now able to communicate via the device with Kershala and the AI. Kale had gone back to the grocery store to stock up on supplies again and was still out. Luckily his former lover hadn't become a problem and he hadn't seen her since. The AI was confident it would only be another day or two before it was able to finish decrypting the device. Now that it had been able to devote its full processing power to the calculations for the last forty-eight hours it had decrypted forty-five percent of the information. The AI had ceased constant monitoring of their pursuers believing it no longer necessary. They were searching heavier outside the city than they were in, believing that they wouldn't come back, Kale's apartment was under constant surveillance, so they would likely never return to it.

Kershala was sitting on the roof; it had started to rain the night before and it hadn't stopped. He hadn't experienced this type of weather since arriving on the planet and it was a welcome change from the more recent dry heat of the days. They had been upstairs in the building the last few days and it had become unbearable for Kale. The second night they slept outside because it had been so hot inside. Lightning travelled across the sky and thunder roared overhead, despite the volume of the thunder Kershala found the weather to be relaxing. It reminded him of being home as during the fifth cycle it would often rain like this. He took his shirt off before coming outside so he could feel the cool of the water on his skin. It had been a couple of very sweaty nights and the water from the storm was better than nothing. The rain was starting to get heavier, Kershala tilted his head back and let the rain hit his face smiling to himself as he recalled childhood memories. The thunder cracked across the sky as Kale walked up the steps of the fire escape. Kershala stood up to aide him in carrying the items he had gotten them.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked as Kershala took some of the bags from his hands.

"Just enjoying the weather. I have not experienced rain on your planet yet," Kershala followed Kale inside, "Plus I thought that the rain may clean my skin a little."

"Yeah, we need a shower. I was thinking about that while I was out. There's a shelter down the street that should allow us to use the facilities to get cleaned up. Wanna head down and see if they let us in?" Kale sat the items beside the couch and turned to face Kershala as he slid his shirt on.

"Lead the way," said Kershala stepping aside and gesturing to the door. Kale smiled at him and headed passed him. Kershala followed him out and they walked out into the rain that wasn't showing any sign of slowing down. They walked down into the street and walked quickly toward their destination.

"It's only a few blocks away," said Kale wrapping his arms around him. "Should have grabbed an umbrella from the donation box that night. Wasn't even thinking about the rain."

"It is nice, I like the rain. I have fond memories of it." Kershala put his hand out letting the rain fall against his palm as they walked. The water seemed warmer now that his clothing had soaked through.

"You'll have to tell me sometime." Kale smiled at him as they walked, it wasn't long before they reached their destination. The building was smaller than Kershala expected, it seemed to be just a regular residence from the outside. He could tell through his implant that the inside had been vastly remodeled and only seemed to have a few be it very large rooms. He could see several heat signatures in the building, two large open rooms with a large amount of beds with people in most of them and a couple of people seemed to be up and moving around. Kale stopped at the door. "This is it. Let me do the talking okay? Try not to let them see your eyes. They may think you're under the influence." Kershala nodded in acknowledgment and Kale pushed the door open. They stepped in out of the rain and a young woman walked up to them from a reception desk. There was a young man sitting beside where she had gotten up from, he greeted them with a smile. Kershala avoided eye contact as he had been told.

"You guys look lost," she said, "Just trying to get out of the rain?"

"Yeah, it's really coming down, eh?" said Kale. "We were hoping for a place to shower if that's okay? We're new to town."

"We don't really have any beds left right now, but your welcome to shower and get cleaned up." The woman walked back to the desk and looked over a book that lay on the desk in front of the young man sitting there. "I'll just need to sign you guys in. Do you have any ID?"

"Honestly we lost all that in a car accident on the way to town. The car flipped, and I barely made it out, but I had to sacrifice my pack," Kale lied.

"That's fine I don't really need it if you're not staying. We have you on camera anyway." Kershala felt his heart sink as she pointed to a camera watching the door. He silently cursed himself for not checking before they walked through the door, having been more focused on the people and the layout of the building.

"Oh, that's cool."

"Yeah, they're old," she laughed, "They still use tapes apparently, hard to believe anyone uses that anymore." Kale picked up a pencil from the desk and wrote something in the sign in book. Kershala used his implant to scan the system they used, and the tapes wouldn't be an issue to dispose of but he would have to come back after to deal with it.

"Yeah I didn't think those still existed." Kale sat the pencil on the desk. "Where are the showers at?"

"I'll show you," said the young man standing from his seat. "Come on." He started walking away from them and both began to follow. Kershala passed a glance at Kale as they walked, they seemed to be heading to the back of the building, he could see that there was no one else there now. They walked into the bathroom, the walls were lined with shower stalls and metal lockers sat in the center of the room. "There's pump soap at each of the units," the young man walked over and unlocked a closet door with a key ring, he opened it and pulled two towels from it. "Here's a towel each just throw it in the pile in the corner when your done with it okay?"

"Great, thank you." Kale took both towels in hand. The young man smiled at them then walked back to where they came from.

"Do you think we should be worried about the cameras?" asked Kale, quietly.

"I do not think so, if need be I can come back and wipe them later."

"They probably erase themselves after a day or so." Kershala scanned the camera and indeed Kale was right they were on a limited cycle of use. "Okay, let's do what we came here for." Kale passed Kershala a towel and walked into the shower stall. Kershala followed his lead and stepped into the stall next door.

"There are a lot of people sleeping here," said Kershala. "Is homelessness a big problem on this planet?" Kershala was sure that their conversation wouldn't drift beyond the two of them. He draped his towel over the door and began to strip from his clothing.

"Honestly, aside from war, it's probably our biggest problem," answered Kale from the other side of the stall. Kershala could hear him shuffling around as he prepared for his shower.

"That is a shame to hear." Kershala looked at his shirt in his hands before hanging it on the door. The water started in Kale's shower and there was the sound of a scuffle. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, that water starts out pretty cold though. God damn, that's cold." Kershala laughed quietly to himself at the thought of Kale making such a fuss over the water. As he turned the shower on though he quickly realized what he meant. He didn't shuffle around as much as Kale, but he could see why he had. "Did you just laugh at me?" Kershala could hear the light-hearted tone in his voice as he spoke.

"Maybe I did." The water began to warm up shortly as he started to lather up with the provided soap. "You humans are so sensitive."

"I know you did not just call ME sensitive." There was a sound of water pooling in something when Kershala suddenly felt cold water dump over him. Kale had filled up something from his shower and dumped it on him then laughed. Kershala finished lathering and quickly rinsed, he stepped to the side and turned the water on completely cold. "At least you know when your beat," laughed Kale. Kershala pulled the nanites from his implant and used them to hold a large volume of water. He hoisted himself up on the stall, he could see Kale with his head down as he washed his hair. Kershala didn't pull pranks often, but he did have brothers, so he knew how to play the game should the opportunity arise. He proceeded to dump about a gallon of icy water on Kale before recalling the nanites. Kale jumped caught off guard. "Sweet hell!" he shouted as he bounded to one side. Kershala lowered himself back into his stall and shut the water off.

"Let that be a lesson to you," he said calmly as he began drying himself off.

"I don't know when, but I will pay you back for that," he laughed. Kershala smiled to himself as he dried off. He realized as he picked up his clothing that it was still wet, except for his undergarment. He kept the door closed and called out the nanites moving them to his clothing and having them emit dry heat, steam rolled from the clothing and was quickly dry. He dressed himself and stepped out of the stall. Kale was still finishing up.

"Are your clothes wet?"

"Not really. Yours?"

"Not anymore, I used the nanites to dry them." Kale opened the door and stepped out fully dressed.

"Mine are okay, I wasn't sitting out in the rain very long." Kale leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, he could feel his heart flutter at the touch of his lips. "That shower was great though, just what I needed. Should we get out of here?" There was a sound of something falling in another room, followed by the scream of a women and a man yelling. Kale looked toward the noise. "The hell was that?" Without an answer he immediately followed the sound of the noise, Kershala followed close behind him and they walked into one of them sleeping quarters. A man was pointing a weapon at the young women who greeted them at the desk.

"Why the fuck are you going through my shit bitch!" the man holding the weapon yelled.

"I wasn't going through your stuff I was just sitting it to the side!" the girl cried. The young man that showed them the showers came running in and the man turned his weapon toward them at the doorway. Other patrons were starting to wake up but froze as they realized what was happening. Kershala instinctually put himself between Kale and the weapon. It was only a small fire arm, nowhere near the size of what they had seen at the military installation, but its deadly force seemed the same.

"What's going on in here?" said the young man.

"Don't fucken come near me! This bitch was goin through my shit!" He gestured toward the women with the weapon, Kershala was waiting for his chance to rush the man and disarm him but didn't want to risk anyone. The women screamed as he pointed the weapon toward her.

"Hey man can you just calm down?" asked Kale, "You know she's here to help us, right? That's literally her job. She doesn't need someone shoving a gun in her face." The man looked at Kale and seemed to be thinking over the scenario while keeping the gun pointed at her. Kershala's implant could detect erratic distortions in his physiology that he had not seen in any other human before. The brain chemistry was different, off balance from what it should be, the readings were telling him that the neurotransmitters in the hippocampus were imbalanced. There was no reasoning in this individual in his current state, he wouldn't be able to grasp it.

"Fuck you man, it wasn't your shit she was stealing!" Kershala looked around the room for something to use to faulter the man, hopefully stopping him from discharging the weapon.

"Look man we need you to calm down, if you kill someone we can't help you," said the young man. Kershala quietly deployed the nanites to his chest area, linking them with his implant to help them predict where to cover him should the man get a shot off. He knew he could likely dodge the shot, but it would risk someone else getting hit. He could feel the nanites crawling around on his chest as the man's stance shifted. The man's hand wavered and Kershala could tell that the angle his weapon was at would miss the women and hit the wall if the gun went off. He pushed the younger man down to hopefully remove him from the line of fire and rushed the aggressor. The weapon went off as Kershala grabbed at it, he could hear the projectile crashing into the wood of the wall sending splinters back at them, the woman screamed and fell to her knees, likely in fear and shock. Kershala grabbed the gun from the man's hand and put him down hard enough to pacify him but not enough to seriously injure him. The young man rushed to the woman's side to make sure she was okay.

"Are you okay?" he asked her. She was crying hysterically on the floor as he got her. He put his arms around her and looked at Kershala. "Are you crazy how did you do that?" The remainder of the people that hadn't woken up were now awake and panicking. Kershala shot a glance to Kale, and they both new it was time to leave. Police would likely arrive on the scene soon. Kershala dropped the weapon to the floor away from the man who now lay unconscious and the two of them ran out of the building together. As they exited the building they could already hear sirens blaring the lights were just down the street.

"If they see us in the area they'll stop us." Kershala scooped Kale up with ease and ran down an alleyway. "Jeez what're you…" Kershala jumped the boundary and landed on the other side.

"Hang on tight." Kershala ran at the wall of the building and propelled himself from the wall to the building on the other side. Keeping the momentum, it wasn't long before they were on the roof. "They likely will not look for us up here." The rain had stopped at some point since they arrived at the shelter, but it hadn't been stopped long as there were still puddles collecting on the low points of the roof and roads. With a little effort and a few hops and bounds they made it back to their hideout, Kershala sat Kale down as they landed.

"That's going to put some unwanted heat on the neighborhood for the next few days," said Kale. He walked to the edge of the building and stayed low to look out over the buildings edge in the direction of the shelter. There were several law enforcement vehicles out front, their blue and red lights flashing in sequence. "I really hope they don't get those tapes, even with our faces were covered there's no way they won't know that's you if the wrong people see it. Can't believe how fast you can move when you need to." Kershala opened the door and waited for Kale.

"Even if they do they will not be able to find us right away. We should stay inside for a few days and wait out the commotion. The AI will be able to keep their records from being utilized." Kale looked back at him before walking into the hideout.

"I hope you're right." Kershala could feel the AI interfacing with his implant as they got in the door.

"How are we to stay un-seen if you inject yourself into situations that will attract unwanted attention?" it scolded. He could hear the frustration in its voice. "And they are using closed circuit recording devices. I cannot erase them remotely."

"They are primitive recording devices and despite what happened they will likely get no identification from them. Our faces stayed hidden," explained Kershala as he sat down.

"And your unabashed rescue of those involved? What human has the capability to move as you do?" Kershala knew it was right, but he saw no point in arguing the facts.

"It is done now, how do we fix it?" asked Kershala.

"Even if they do see us in the video, they won't just put it out there for people to see. There's a process to an investigation like that. It'll probably be a few days before we even hear about it to be honest. No one got hurt and the aggressor was dealt with and likely apprehended by now I might add," explained Kale. "And the videos those things captured is probably not very clear anyway. I doubt your movement would look like much on there." Kale sat down beside Kershala and turned to face the AI that hovered above them still engaged with the device. "Let's just lay low for the next few days and if we have to deal with it we can. At the rate you're going on that decryption you'll probably be through it before it becomes an issue anyway." Kershala could tell that Kale was trying to compliment the AI, he knew it wouldn't take it that way, but he admired the effort. Kershala stood up and stepped into the middle of their living area.

"We should spar some more," Kershala smiled, "while your adrenaline is still pumping." Kershala had performed the Jadak'tora with Kale once more since their initial training session. It was somewhat difficult for him to train him in Daoran combat methods since he was limited by the strength and agility differences in humans. Although he had improved having learned improvisation and combat integration.

"Awe, but we just got cleaned up," said Kale sarcastically. "I have a better idea." Kale stood up and went to the bag of groceries he had brought back earlier. "I meant to tell you I got this for us." Kale reached in and pulled out a pair of scissors, a razor and shaving cream. "We could both use a trim. Couldn't hurt to change our appearance a little either." Kershala stroked at the beard that had grown out on his face significantly since they had originally cleaned it up. It was not as thick as the first time, but it was certainly starting to look unkempt. Kale walked over to him and tugged at it playfully, before kissing him on the lips. "Keeps growing like that I might start calling you daddy," he laughed. Kershala didn't understand the reference entirely but smiled anyway. Kale's facial hair hadn't grown much but the fact it was present at all was different as he had none when they first met. Kale sat the stuff down next to their make shift bed. "Come on it'll help us stay hidden." Kershala sat down next to him on the bed.

Kale went about setting up everything he needed. He had to shave them both, but he figured he should do Kershala's first since it would likely take more time. He had purchased some plastic cups and he filled a few of them up to use for rinsing their tools and faces. He used the scissors to cut open the razors he purchased and sat one of them in the water to soak while he would trim Kershala's face with the scissors first.

"It probably won't be as comfortable as last time. I couldn't find the pre-shave stuff we used before," said Kale as he sat down across from Kershala. He sat the shaving cream next to him and put a small bucket in front of him that he had purchased, he filled it halfway with water. He had been stocking up on water the last few days anticipating having to potentially sponge bath to get clean, luckily it hadn't come to that as he thought of the shelter while he was out tonight. "Wet your face with this." Kershala slid off his shirt and sat it on the bed next to him before reaching into the bucket hands cupped to wet his face. Kale looked at Kershala's face for a few minutes trying to think of a way to make him appear different without having to do too much hand work. "I'm thinking we should just shave it off…"

"I would like to keep it as last time."

"It'll grow back though. As it stands right now people are looking for a man with a thick beard. You won't fit their description anymore that way." Kershala let out a discontent sigh and looked down at the bucket.

"You are right. But I am not happy with this."

"I like the beard too. I'm just trying to be practical you know."

"That does not mean I have to like it."

"Hold still." Kale picked up the scissors and started cutting at away at Kershala's beard trying to be quick but careful. "Man, hard to believe how far we've come since we did this that night," he said as he cut away the beard. "You know you made my heart flutter that night."

"I know," said Kershala. Kale stopped and looked at him for a second. "The implant showed me your vitals, I just didn't know what it meant at the time." Kale smiled and started cutting again.

"That's super embarrassing. Basically, tells me that anytime I've had some kind of reaction to you, you could see it."

"Yes," Kershala paused as Kale continued trimming, "Why is that embarrassing?"

"It's hard to explain. A lot of the guys in my generation grew up scared to show a lot of their emotions. Especially when it comes to intimacy with other boys. It's just not how you're supposed to act."

"That is a shame. Children should be free to express how they feel no matter who it is to." Kale trimmed the last of the longer hair from Kershala's face. He picked up the shaving cream and took some in his palm, worked it into a lather in both of his hands then started applying it to Kershala's face. He watched as Kershala closed his eyes as he did the first time.

"You really like the way that feels eh? I remember the first time we did this you seemed to really like it then too."

"Yes," Kershala kept his eyes closed as he spoke, and Kale massaged the cream to his face, "It is relaxing. When you have been hit in the face as much as I have you come to appreciate the soft touch of another. And now that we are bonded on a deeper level, it is that much better." Kale had to hold himself back, the words as Kershala spoke them were exciting him. "I see it is that much better for you as well." Kershala peaked at him through one eye and smiled.

"God dammit. You sexy alien." Kale rinsed his hands in the bucket and picked up the razor he had soaked, then began running it carefully over Kershala's face. Without worrying about a style, the process was much quicker. As he shaved he couldn't help but notice how much of a baby face Kershala had underneath his beard. "Who'd of thought there'd be a babyface under there?" he laughed.

"What do you mean?" Kershala gave him a bewildered look.

"You have such a young face under all that facial hair." Kale dipped the razor in the bucket to continue the process and it wasn't long before it was done. "Smooth as glass." Kershala picked up the shaving cream and put some of it in his hand. At first Kale was caught off guard when he started massaging it onto his face. "I suppose it is my turn," he laughed. Kershala's gentle hands moved across his face and neck his fingers seemingly dancing across his skin. Kershala tilted his head back slightly and seemingly looked down his nose at him as he rubbed his face making sure to cover everything as Kale had done with him.

"Close your eyes," said Kershala quietly. Kale listened and shut his eyes feeling Kershala's thumb on his cheek bones. He massaged in a circular motion the feeling was different, he had never had anyone do this to him before. Kershala took his hands away and Kale opened his eyes. "Pass me the razor."

"Oh, that's okay, I can do it from here," said Kale picking up the razor.

"I would like to do it for you." Kale paused for a second, he felt like Kershala wanted to give him the same experience that he had.

"Okay." Kale spoke quietly and slowly passed him the razor. "Short strokes okay, rinse the razor every couple." Kershala did as he was told every few strokes cleaning the blade. Kale moved his head to make it easier to reach. He had never put this much trust in someone before, with Kershala's strength it wouldn't be hard for him to press to hard and cut him, but he didn't. He was perfectly gentle and seemed to know exactly what he was doing even though he had never done it before. "You seem to really know what you're doing."

"I know, you were hesitant at first." Kale stayed silent as Kershala continued and it wasn't long before he was finished. Kershala sat the razor down on the floor and brushed the back of his hand across Kales face. "Much better." He smiled as Kale leaned in for a kiss, he took Kershala's face in his hands and as their lips touched he remembered how much he loved kissing a man after a fresh shave. Kale kissed him on his cheek then his lips and then started to get a little more heated moving into a French kiss. He attempted to push him back on the bed getting caught up in the moment and seemingly forgetting what they had been doing. As he moved forward he knocked over the bucket they had set up spilling the contents all over the side of the bed. He stopped and looked down at the floor half smiling but also half embarrassed for getting so caught up.

"Shit." He pulled back, stood up quickly and threw one of his shirts on top of the water. "Well that coulda been fun." He laughed in frustration.

"There will always be time," Kershala laughed as he stood up and gave Kale a half hug from the side and kiss on the cheek. He grabbed a rag from a box and came back over to help clean up the mess. They wiped up the mess and replaced the blankets that had been soiled before bedding down for the night as they realized it was four in the morning.

Kale opened his eyes to the dimly lit room; the room was incredibly warm as it often was as they slept. It was likely somewhere around one in the afternoon and he could tell it was close to ninety degrees in the upstairs un-air-conditioned hide out. They had been sleeping uncovered for most nights as it was so there wasn't really any way to get any cooler that he hadn't already done. Kale lay on his back with his head resting on Kershala's shoulder with his forearm across his chest. He slowly moved his arm and sat up, Kershala was unphased and didn't wake up. Kale took a deep breath as he stood up and got a drink of water. He did his best to stay hydrated since there was nothing they could really do to fight the heat otherwise. They couldn't open the door during the day as someone may find it suspicious and investigate. He took his new phone from the table next to the couch and sat back on their bed next to Kershala. He knew he wasn't going to be getting right back to sleep and found himself thinking about his life before all of this started happening. He still hadn't really found out what was said about him once he went missing. He used the phone to search for his profile on Facebook he tapped his profile picture on the screen and it was suddenly like looking back from beyond the grave. There were tons of messages on his profile from his friends and family. _Can't believe you're gone how can this even be real?_ A post from a friend he hadn't seen since they moved away. _It's hard to believe such a thing could happen in our tiny city RIP friend._ A post from a co-worker he was close with. _I'm so mad at everything, why did you even have to go there? It's not fair! Rest easy sweet angel._ A post from his closest cousin. _Rest in Peace man can't believe your gone._ A guy he was close with in high school and would often see around his home town. _To my buddy, I'm so sad that you're gone I don't even know what to do with myself. I get mad when I think that you were taken from us so soon and so violently. I really thought we would get old together and raise kids together. I don't know what happened but I'm sure you were trying to help when you passed. You were my best friend and I love you rest in peace._ A message from Miranda. Kale lay there and felt tears come to his eyes, his life would never be the same again. He missed his friends and it was unimaginable that he would end up in a position where he would be looking at messages that his friends left him after he died. He sniffled lightly as he continued to scroll, he couldn't believe the messages. There were people leaving him messages that he hadn't talked to in years. He continued scrolling through the feed and eventually got to an article that had been posted about the incident, it was labelled as a two-minute read by the poster. He took a deep breath and couldn't help but feel anxious as he read the title to himself. _City Devastated in Attack, Countless Injured Three Left Dead._ He clicked on the article and it loaded quickly.

 _ **Suspected Terrorist Attack on Citadel left dozens of Parks Canada employees severely injured.**_

 _Officials say a soldier wearing a type of experimental body armor attacked the Citadel today using a weapon of unknown origin. It was brought down on the Citadel at approximately 1030 am the morning of May 20_ _th_ _. The resulting explosion severely injured most of the staff on duty that day. Sadly, the attending shift supervisors Peter Beebe, and Joelle Keddy were left dead as well as private security officer Kale Jarin, who died trying to get others to safety._

 _ **Virus Preventing Footage from Being Shown.**_

 _It seems as though a virus was also unleashed into the recording software the military and city uses as none of the footage from that day has survived to be shown. Even here at Global News all our footage from the helicopter cameras was unusable. This form of cyber terrorism has not been seen before and we have our own experts examining the virus._

 _ **No Terrorists Groups Claim Attack.**_

 _As of the writing of this article no significant terrorist group has come forward to claim responsibility for the attack. The soldier was subdued but we are told that the armor seemed to have a malfunction and killed the user, leaving no identifiable remains._

 _We will update as more information becomes available._

Kale wiped at his eyes to push back the tears, he couldn't believe that they had basically just erased his existence with a few sentences in an article. He thought about never seeing his grandmother again and how much pain she must have gone through to hear that he passed in such a way. The thought that the government was responsible for it was terrifying and showed what they were capable of. He couldn't help but wonder that if he had tried to contact his family or friends would they be in danger. Kale sat his phone down and curled up with his pillow in his arms the tears ran freely now despite his best efforts to keep them in. He felt himself shaking as he cried to himself, he had just lost his entire family and they weren't even dead. He laid there for a few minutes crying to himself before he felt Kershala's arm wrap around his chest. Kershala cuddled in close to him and enveloped him in a full embrace, he felt Kershala's lips press gently on his cheek a wave of comfort flushed through him like nothing he had ever felt before.

"I can feel your pain Kale," Kershala whispered, "I feel it as you do, it woke me." Kale looked back at Kershala to see tears in his eyes as well. Kale hadn't thought about how Kershala came to him in the first place for a long time.

"I'm sorry, I know they're still alive, but I feel like I won't ever see them again," Kale spoke through his tears.

"I once grieved as you do now, I am here for you. As you were there for me," Kershala comforted and brought his hand to Kale's cheek. They looked at each other for a few drawn out seconds when the markings on Kershala's body began glowing faintly.

"What are you doing?" asked Kale quietly.

"Think of your happiest memories you shared with your family and close your eyes." Kale was confused at first before he realized that Kershala was initiating the Jadak'tora. Now that he had become skilled with it there had been very few ill affects on Kale's body. He closed his eyes and tried his best to think of happy memories with his friends and family. "It may be jumbled at first." Kershala reposition Kale on his back and straddled him, Kale instinctually placed his hand on Kershala's implant and the glow intensified. The familiar sensation began travelling Kale's arm as he closed his eyes, Kershala leaned in and kissed him before placing their foreheads together with his hand on the back of Kale's neck. The sensation intensified but before anything happened Kale could feel it travelling his arm and seemingly causing his brain to buzz. It was a different sensation then before. Kale felt a bead of sweat fall from Kershala's forehead as he seemed to be straining.

"Are you okay?" Kale whispered.

"It is more difficult than I imagined," said Kershala through strained breaths. Kale suddenly felt the sensation solidify from his hand to his head and there was a brief pause.

He opened his eyes and he and Kershala were laying in the grass at the big pond. It was strange at first as Kershala got up off him, he didn't think there was any significant memory at this particular location. He stood up and looked around, Kershala didn't seem to be aware of him as they stood in the open. He looked up into the sky to see nothing but blackness, it was strange because everything seemed to be illuminated as if it were mid-day.

"Kershala, what is thi…" Kale didn't finish his sentence before he was pulled from where he stood by some unknown force, he seemed to be flying at an incredibly high speed, but it was backwards. He recognized all the places he passed, the old bowling alley, the community college, the pizza place downtown, and his old high school. There was a flash of light and he was standing in front of his grandmother, she had just taken a picture of him, a dog that he recognized as Chino, the last dog she had before Rhodie, a husky, took off running ahead of him. Kale looked at himself he was his eight-year-old self. His grandmother walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek, the smell of her perfume flooded his nose it was the same scent she always wore.

"That was a wonderful picture," she said standing up and looking to the dog, "Chino don't you go too far!" This memory was the time they went for a hike with the dog. He spent a lot of time with his grandmother, they would often go for hikes in different locations around the province when he was younger. As he got older they drifted apart but he often spent holidays at her place instead of his parents. Anytime he was home for extended periods he always made sure to check in at least once. As she took his hand he felt overcome with the joy as he often did when they were together. As she pulled him along he caught the shadow of a man sitting in a large tree, Kershala was watching them. The dog ran back to them and jumped on him knocking him backwards. He began laughing uncontrollably outside of his own power as the dog began licking his face, it became clear he was just watching the memory play out. Chino was his favourite of the dogs his grandmother had since he was born, the whole family was sad when he passed. But this was indeed his favourite memory of him and his grandmother. "Oh Chino, stop that you foolish dog!" His grandmother shooed the dog away and it ran away playfully again. His grandmother pulled him to his feet and the memory ended presumably as he was zipped away from her again moving outside of his own power.

He landed in a vehicle, it didn't take him long to realize it was his friend Miranda's first car. An old 1995 Toyota Tercel, an ugly green sedan that they ended up driving into the ground. They had gone so many places in this vehicle and had so many memories he was trying to figure out which one was his favourite. There were two guys from school in the back one that Kale had a crush on and one that was part of their regular circle. They were driving outside of town in a farming area, he was starting to recognize the memory as they pulled into an old church parking lot. It was the middle of the night, he looked at the clock on the dashboard, but he couldn't read the numbers. He was a teenager he looked in the mirror above him to check his hair and Miranda glanced at him and held back a laugh. He smiled back at her as they all got out of the vehicle. Kale looked down at himself as he stood he was wearing his favorite hoody and some jeans that were just baggy enough to be stylish for the early 2000's. They walked to the back of the vehicle and Ryder, the guy he had his first boy crush on sat on the back of the car. Kale leaned on the car next to him and Miranda and Andrew stood across from them.

"Got the good stuff this time, my sister said it's better than medical grade," said Andrew reaching into his hoody. This was the first time the Kale had smoked marijuana, he glanced back at the church and could see Kershala clearly perched on the churches roof. Andrew took out the marijuana and Miranda passed him her pipe. As they prepped it Kale found himself staring at Ryder, they had been talking for awhile, everyone knew Kale's preferences varied. He remembered the awkward phone conversation he had to convince him to join them. Andrew took a puff off the bowl and passed it to Kale, he copied Andrew and remembered the burning sensation in his throat that caused him to cough.

"Gonna make it?" asked Ryder putting his arm around him and pulling him in to a half hug. Kale could feel the heat in his face as he blushed at Ryder's touch. He was somewhat thankful for the minimal light provided by the street lamp in the church lot.

"I'm good, I'm good," he laughed but didn't pull from his arm while passing him the pipe. Ryder took a puff from the pipe and didn't bat an eye at it as he passed it off to Miranda.

"You guys look pretty cozy." Kale looked at Ryder and he looked over at him and smiled as Miranda took a hit off the pipe.

"Meh, I was kinda cold," he shrugged. Kale giggled at the comment and instantly recalled a feeling of embarrassment but also total happiness in infatuation. "Hey gimme another hit." Ryder laughed and took the pipe inhaling the smoke and blowing it seductively in Kale's face.

"What're you doing?" Kale laughed waving away the smoke and pulling back from his grip.

"I thought you might do better getting a contact high, burns a little less." He stopped and kinda stared at him for a moment.

"Andrew come with me, I'm cold." Miranda grabbed Andrew's hand and pulled him toward the front of the vehicle.

"Hey, hey, I want more of that, what're you doing?" Ryder passed him the pipe before he was out of arms reach and Kale watched the two of them get in the vehicle. This was part of why she was his best friend. She always gave him the extra push to go for what he wanted regardless if it was good for him or not, and if it wasn't good for him she was always there to pick up the pieces.

"I've never been out here this late at night before," said Ryder looking up at the sky.

"Yeah we don't come out here a lot. We just knew it would be quiet." Kale moved to be standing in front of him.

"Was this your plan all along? Get me out here in the dark all alone?" asked Ryder with a smirk on his face.

"No," Kale laughed, "To be honest it was more likely hers… to get us both out here all alone." Ryder got down from the vehicle and took a step in Kale's direction. Kale recalled the anxiousness that took over him as he got close, not sure if he was going to hit him or just get back into the car. He could feel his heart racing. "I know this is weird for you." With that Ryder grabbed Kale by the arm and pulled him into a kiss, he barely remembered this night, but it was flooding back to him. He remembered Ryder's hands gliding over his body as they kissed, he remembered his heart fluttering in his chest and most importantly he remembered this as his first kiss with a boy and it was staged by his best friend. The memory ended there, and Kale could feel the buzzing sensation in his arm again, he opened his eyes in time to have Kershala collapse on him in exhaustion.

"Are you okay? What's wrong?" he asked getting up on one elbow. As he hoisted himself he couldn't help but feel slightly dizzy. Kershala was breathing but silent. "Kershala?" The AI hovered over and performed a scan on his body.

"He is sleeping. The implant could not continue to process your memories, so it protected itself and his mind," it explained.

"Anubis, what's going on? How did he know earlier that I was upset?" Kale moved slowly and got himself out from under Kershala and did his best to make sure he was comfortable.

"A combination of the night you bonded, and the number of times you have joined in the Jadak'tora has caused a connection to form between you and Kershala. Though you may never feel his, he can empathically feel your stronger emotions as you experience them." Kale was caught off guard by the statement.

"Is that okay? It won't hurt him will it?" he asked.

"Not physically as for the mental effects, there has obviously been no case to compare it to. We simply do not know." Kale found the statement unsettling but at this point there was nothing that could be done about it. "I suggest you get some sleep. The method Kershala used to access your memories can have severe side effects."

"Great…" Kale rolled over on his side and put his hand on Kershala's back closing his eyes.


	13. Chapter 13

Kershala opened his eyes slowly he was laying next to Kale who was still asleep. His implant had shut down and put him to sleep to prevent a sensory overload, the result was that he was incredibly tired. He felt like he barely slept when he sat up he realized that the AI was hovering in front of the couch projecting an image.

"What are you doing Anubis?" Kershala stood up slowly and walked over to the couch.

"I have now decrypted seventy-eight percent of the access device. I am currently accessing the ships internal sensors to map out the vessel." The images changed rapidly as Kershala watched the AI moving through out the ship.

"This is good news. Are you able to access the ships teleporter unit yet?"

"I predict I will be able to access ships primary functions one I have reached eighty five percent decryption."

"Have you determined if there are any other life signs on the vessel yet?"

"I apologize, I only have access to tertiary sensors, they do not allow me to scan for life signs." Kershala had a sense of dread fall over him that the AI was able to detect. "If there is any other life on board than it will likely be other prisoners, not likely to be hostiles. The Arktora do not travel together and are thought to be loners. If there are other Shiron up there, they will likely be neutralized very quickly and pose little threat."

"Can you show me the external view of the ship?" asked Kershala taking a seat on the edge of the couch.

"What's going on?" asked Kale clearly groggy. Kershala didn't notice him stir as he spoke with the AI.

"Anubis has accessed the sensors on board the ship." Kale sat up slowly and put his hand to his head covering his eyes.

"Ah dammit, last night must have done a number on me. I haven't felt a headache like this in a long time. Definitely a migraine." Kale laid back down and Kershala walked over to him, he wasn't feeling great himself, but he wasn't in pain.

"What can I do?" Kershala knelt beside him put his hand gently on Kale's shoulder and kissed the hand he held over his face.

"A drink of water's a good start." Kale kept his hand over his eyes. Kershala reached over just behind the makeshift bed to where they kept one of the bottles of fresh water. He opened it and placed Kale's free hand on it. "Thank you." Kale twisted the top off and let it fall to the side before raising the bottle to his mouth for a couple of small sips. "Any idea how long this is going to last?"

"The effects of the process used have been known to last on Daoran minds for twelve of your hours. But in those situations, the memories were extracted from criminals against their will. Estimating based on previous recovery time and the amount of time you slept, it should not go on for much more than a few hours," Anubis explained.

"I guess that's good," said Kale running his hand through his hair.

"Come, sit with me while we look at this vessel." Kershala sat on the couch, he watched and waited as Kale slowly stood to join him. When he was close enough he took his hand and guided him he sat down. "Rest my en'saba." Kale looked at Kershala confused as he laid his head down on his lap. "It is a term of affection, Kale." Kale smiled at him as he got comfortable. Kershala rested his hand on Kale's chest and massaged it lightly as he watched the AI project an image of the ships external hull. Kershala turned his attention to the projection. "Activate a tactile interface and bring the image closer." Kershala ordered. Kershala watched as the image faded and reloaded there was now a clear spherical interface around the it so that he could touch and manipulate the image. The ship was bigger than Kershala had first imagined, it seemed too big for one being, at least twice as large as the ship he and his family used. Kershala manipulated the image with one hand and zoomed out from the image, the ship was heavily armed with several energy weapons mounted in strategic locations around the vessel. The surface of the ship seemed to be showing signs of battle stress, he could see several scars in the vessels heavy armor that were likely from energy weapons. Kershala could only imagine the poor souls that had come face to face with this vessel and its pilot, he would likely find the evidence of their struggles when they got to the ship in the form of their remains. He flipped the vessel to be able to see the underside. He could see where both the sub-light drive and main engines were located, it seemed to be equipped with a standard pulse drive with several smaller thrusters for maneuverability. The shape of the ship itself was unlike anything he had seen before, two large pincer-like apparatus extended from the main circular hull giving the ship an almost insect like appearance. The hull itself was not smooth like most ships he had come across either and seemed as though every part of the ship was forced into place. He wondered where it had come from, the design was clearly not of Shironian origin and he could tell it had been heavily modified. He felt Kale move his head on his lap as he studied the ship.

"Pretty mean looking thing huh?" he said quietly.

"Yes. It fits its owner." Kershala didn't turn away from the vessel.

"Doesn't look like a very inviting new home." Kershala looked down at Kale who was staring at the ship.

"It is a war machine, it is both heavily armed and armored and likely very maneuverable."

"Do you think you'll be able to fly it?" asked Kale.

"If I cannot, the AI can fly it at first." Kershala briefly felt something strange in his implant and the image began to distort. "What was that?" he asked. He felt the AI's connection to the implant completely sever. "What are you doing?" At the urgency in his voice Kale sat up.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Kershala, a layer of defence has been triggered from the ship itself…" the AI spoke, then paused, the core fell to the floor. "I… am… under… attack… hostile application… detected." The AI's voice began to distort and change.

"Disconnect from the vessel!"

"I can..not." Kershala jumped from his seat and picked up the core. He used the implant to scan it, the virus seemed to be causing an energy surge from within the AI core causing its neuro network to fuse.

"Cease all back up operations and devote your processes to establishing a firewall." Kershala called the nanites out of his implant and they wrapped themselves around the core as he held it. "We have to get it outside, it could explode." Kershala used the nanites to draw excess energy from the core in an attempt to prevent the build-up while using their addition processing power to assist the AI in defending itself. He ran outside with the machine in his hand breaking through the door quickly. The AI core began malfunctioning right in his hand, it began projecting images around them off and on. Unfortunately, enough to be noticed, his implant was telling him that with the nanites additional processing power there was a chance it would be able to protect itself, but he could tell that the virus had already fused several of its neural pathways. The core became so hot he had to sit it on the ground in front of him. Kale staggered out of the building and walked over to him.

"Is it gonna be okay? What kind of explosion are we talking here?" Kale looked around at the projections it was putting out. The images were familiar to Kershala, star charts, planetary maps, Daoran leaders and any number of other memories taken from their travels across the galaxy.

"Quiet Kale." Kershala watched as the AI defended itself, he felt disappointed in himself and the AI for not being more careful. To not think that the vessel would have a cyberwarfare suite to protect itself against exactly what the AI was attempting to do. Suddenly everything went quiet, Kershala couldn't get a reading from the core at all with his implant it had completely shut him out and seemingly shut down. He held the core in his hand everything around them was quiet except for the ambiance of the city. Kershala felt an anxiousness building in his stomach as he looked at the AI laying quiet, everything that the AI contained was at risk of being destroyed if it could not pull through. The history of his people was at risk. Kale walked over and knelt beside him.

"Is it … gone?" asked Kale looking intently at Kershala.

"I do not know, I cannot connect to it, it has shut me out." Kershala could feel that the nanites processors were still engaged when they involuntarily retreated to his implant. Kershala detected a message that had been carried through the nanites as they retreated telling him to throw the AI core into the air. "Get back!" With everything he had Kershala threw the AI core up into the air sending it a hundred feet in the air. As it reached it's highest an energy burst was released that would have destroyed the building, several car alarms started sounding in the neighborhood.

"What the hell was that?" asked Kale reacting to the explosion. As the AI core fell back toward them, Kershala could feel it re-establish the connect to his implant and see it visibly coming back online. It stopped just shy of hitting the ground and hovered just inches off the ground. Kershala could detect that while it had sustained some damage it was successful in dealing with the Shironian virus.

"Anubis report?" said Kershala as he grabbed the core and took it back in the building.

"I have sustained major damage to my secondary processors and will be inhibited from performing most secondary functions as a result. The damage may be repaired once we acquire the proper components but, in the meantime, my physical defensive capabilities have been disabled." Kershala felt a rush of relief move through him, the damage was something he could repair later but the archives were safe inside the core.

"Can you still decrypt the device?" asked Kale.

"Yes. I have already re-engaged with the vessel now that I have disabled its cyberwarfare suite," Anubis explained.

"Can you take us to it yet?" asked Kershala.

"Decryption is at eighty percent. It will not be long now, however, the energy explosion has caught the attention of our pursuers and they are on their way." Kershala looked at Kale he could see the worry in his face. "You must find a way to hold them off until I am able to take us out of this location."

"We will run, come on," said Kershala turning to the door.

"No, it is already too late for that, they are here." As he did his implant detected heat signatures just on the other side of the door. Instinctually he grabbed a box and threw it at the light knocking it down and leaving them in the dark. Using his implant, he could see around the room in the darkness with ease, he pulled a large shelf down in front of the door with ease than ran back to Kale.

"I can't see anything, Kershala," said Kale as Kershala grabbed his hand and pulled him into the corner.

"I will hold them off, take the AI core." Kershala put the core in Kales free hand. "Stay here." There was banging on the door as they tried to get the door open. It was silent when there was suddenly gun fire and the door crumbled. "Stay down," Kershala whispered as he walked away from Kale. His implant told him there was at least six of the men coming inside. They were heavily armed each of them carrying assault rifles and side arms on their person. The lights on their rifles let Kershala easily track their positions. He could see from the implant they were all wearing a heavy armor not that it would do them much good.

"Be careful, these terrorists can't get away. We have authorization to shoot to kill." Kershala picked up the audio from their communication devices sealed in their helmets. He could only imagine who these men thought they were after but the fact that they were shooting to kill made him more than a little nervous. They seemed to be carrying powerful experimental weapons that he could not find a reference for in the database he had collected from the internet he had to assume they were of great danger to him and more so of course to Kale. All six men were in their hide out now, shining their lights around. He looked back at Kale who had crouched down behind some boxes. They would have to trip over him to see him. Kershala jumped quietly into the rafters along the ceiling. Further analyzing their equipment, he could tell they were equipped with some sort of night vision and could likely see him if he wasn't careful. Luckily, he had spent some of their first few nights climbing around in the rafters to see if they'd support his weight if he needed them to, so he knew where he'd be able to settle. He quietly jumped to get behind the first one. He regretted it but would have to use lethal force, he didn't see a way around it. He knew once he started his attack they would fire on him with no hesitation, he had to protect Kale. He dropped down behind the man making a slight noise as he hit the floor.

"What was that!" The man swung around and saw him, he opened fire and Kershala pushed the gun to the side. The other men in the squadron turned to face them and opened fire as well. Kershala anticipated this, he pulled the man close to him and used him as a shield.

"I am sorry," he said to the man as the bullets clipped into his body. The man let out a gurgle as Kershala threw him into two of the men that were firing on him.

"We need a medic up here!" Kershala jumped back to the rafters all the while still under fire from the other three. He had called out the nanites and they scoured his body blocking shots that would have otherwise hit their mark. He swung into one man and incapacitated the other with a swift back hand. He ducked weapons fire from the third soldier and threw a box at him with his free hand knocking him off balance. Kershala jumped at him and before he could compose himself with a swift kick it was over. Kershala looked back at Kale who was still cowered. He looked back to the door when an explosive device was thrown into the room. It exploded mid air and sent shrapnel flying in all directions. Kershala turned away from the explosion, the nanites spreading out to protect his vital organs but he felt the shrapnel collide with the right of his body stinging in multiple spots. With that suddenly the lights in the building were active and eight more soldiers came running into the room. With no cover of darkness, Kershala's instinct was to protect Kale he jumped back to the corner he was cowered in. The men all pointed their weapons at them and Kale stood quickly and put his hands in the air.

"We surrender, don't shoot!" he screamed. Kershala landed in a crouching position in front of Kale. With the light on it was visible where the shrapnel had hit, he hadn't been wearing a shirt before the attack and the wounds to his right side were dripping violet. The men encroached on them their weapons raised.

"Send up the General, the enemy has been subdued," said the lead soldier. Kershala felt anger boiling in him at the fact that they had been caught. Kershala began looking around the room for a possible out when he realized that the floor beneath them led to a large open room and could easily be broken through.

"Good to see you two again," said the voice of the unnamed general they had dealt with at the base. He walked through the door and took up a position behind the soldiers. He too was wearing body armor but had no helmet on. "You didn't think that you could stay hidden, forever did you? Holed up here like a couple of animals. Let's get you back to the facility where you can't hurt anybody, and pop open the skull of yours and see what makes you tick."

"We never hurt anybody until you forced us to," said Kale. "Why can't you just let us go?" At the mention of cracking open his skull Kershala had already had enough.

"We will not be going anywhere with you!" he screamed. Kershala didn't hold back his anger in his voice. He screamed out in rage as he brought both of his fists down on the floor below him breaking through the floor. A shot went off and he felt a burning in his shoulder as his feet hit the ground in a cloud of dust and debris. He reached behind him and grabbed Kale pulling him through the mess and pushing him forward. Several of the soldiers opened fire down in to the hole he had created, the bullets digging into the floor under the debris. Kershala took several steps, he could hear the men above him getting ready to chase him when he decided he had enough. Before he got too far he looked above him and could see where the General was standing he had run a few feet back but the floor was still thin. Still in a fit of rage he jumped into the air and forced his hand through the floor grabbing the man by the leg and pulling for all he was worth, he had ripped the general right through the floor and slammed him to the ground. He then kicked him a few feet from where he landed so they could not shoot him from above and crouched over the man so close he could feel his breath against his face. The older man fumbled for his weapon but was quickly disarmed. "You will call off your men and leave us alone or I will kill you where you lay, do you understand me!" Kershala's fury was present in every word he yelled in the mans face, he could see violet spatters of his blood coming through in his mouth having taken some of the shrapnel to the side of his face. His blood splattered on the mans terrified face as he screamed at him. "Do you understand me!"

"I will not be intimida…." The man rose to yell back at him when Kershala slammed him back to the ground with a hand around his neck.

"You worthless pishar! I have reduced bigger enemies than you to dust!" Kershala squeezed his neck and the man started choking before he let up again. "I hold your life in my hand, see how easily it faulters under it! You will call off your men!" Kershala raged. He heard boots hitting the ground at the first hole they had fallen through and looked up to see the men taking up formation clearly unsure if they should open fire on him. Kershala raised to his feet with the general in tow. "Let us go, or I will kill him." Kershala raised the general by his neck and anticipating an attack broke the general's leg with his free hand. The man screamed out in pain and Kershala could detect the hesitation in the soldiers.

"Eighty four percent." Anubis said from behind him.

"I would likely die from the wounds your weapons inflict, but I will make sure all of you are long dead before that happens!" He yelled not losing any of the rage in his voice. "Are you willing to risk never seeing your loved ones again?" he spoke loudly but with less rage able to tell it would only be a matter of minutes before he wouldn't have to kill anyone.

"Just let us go!" cried Kale from behind him. The tension was high, and they seemed to be in a standoff, their weapons were pointed at them. Kershala still held the general's body in the air having shifted as to not break the man's neck, blood still running from the wounds in his body, the bullet burning hot in his shoulder. Kershala suddenly felt a buzzing all over his body that he hadn't felt in a very long time and he knew the teleportation device was activating. The teleporters that his family ship had was damaged beyond repair a long time ago. He knew it would only be a matter of seconds, he dropped the general to the ground and all he could see was light as it enveloped his body. The feeling of being pulled through subspace was relaxing in its own way, there was a warmth about it, but it also felt like being pulled in several different directions at first. The light faded and Kershala's eyes took a few seconds to adjust to the darker setting. He looked around to see that he and Kale were standing on a platform at the back of the bridge of the vessel. Kale immediately fell to all fours and threw up on the floor in front of him.

"That was the strangest thing I've ever felt," he said wiping his mouth off. Kershala helped him to his feet and stepped down from the platform. He looked at the room around him, the main viewer ran the length of the wall in front of him they could see earth from a high orbit. A graphical overlay was present on the viewer, Kershala recognized the writing as Shironian, the implant would easily translate it. In front of the viewer there was another platform with a console off to the side of it most likely the pilot's interface. "This is crazy. I can't believe we're looking at Earth through a window on an actual star ship." Kale took a step forward and Kershala grabbed his hand.

"Anubis are their any secondary defenses in place that we should be aware of?" asked Kershala.

"No, the only line of defense against intruders was the cyberwarfare suite. I don't believe the Arktora would ever expect anyone to get into its ship as we have," explained the AI. Kershala let go of Kale's hand and realized that the shrapnel was still present all over his right side as blood stained Kale's hand. Kale looked at him with concern in his features.

"Are you okay? I couldn't tell how bad it was when everything was happening." Kale took a step up to him and put his hand up to the side of his face that had been hit. "I can see the pieces sticking out of your skin."

"We have to get it out, but my skin will heal with time," Kershala looked around and sat down on the floor. "We can rest now, we are safe for now. The humans will not be able to find us here." Kale knelt with him and began inspecting his wounds. "Anubis do you have access to the navigation systems yet?"

"No, Kershala."

"Keep me posted." Kershala sat back and rested his weight on his left arm.

"How are we supposed to get all of this out?" asked Kale. Kershala grabbed a piece of the shrapnel that was lodged in his right arm and pulled it out, wincing lightly at the pain. "Anubis is there some kind of medical lab or something on this ship? Or can you at least detect tools we can use to help the wounds along?"

"The nanites can suture the damage and stop the bleeding. We will just have to pull it all out," said Kershala. Kershala concentrated on the wound he had opened and as the nanites deployed he and Kale both began pulling out pieces of the shrapnel.


	14. Chapter 14

They had been on the Arktora's vessel for just under twenty-four hours having spent the first several hours pulling shrapnel from Kershala's battered body. The process had been tedious even with the tools they had found to use to pull out the deeper pieces. Kale couldn't imagine how painful it would be to have someone pull jagged pieces of metal out of your skin but Kershala barely even winced throughout the whole process. The tools they found seemed medical in nature, but Anubis was sure that they were not used for this on board an Arktora vessel. Kale had mainly used a very fine silver needle to pull the pieces out trying his best to be gentle. Once they had finished the process Kershala had succumbed to exhaustion and insisted on sleeping while he was able. Anubis had interfaced with the ship and used its sensors to keep watch and was satisfied they were alone in the Sol System.

Kale was still dealing with the sick feeling he got from being teleported to the vessel. The technology was something he had only ever seen watching science fiction television shows when he was younger. Needless to say, those shows didn't do a good job preparing him for the process of being ripped apart by his molecules and put back together in a different place. The buzzing on his skin almost reminiscent of receiving several intense static shocks but all over your body at the same time. Once he had the time, he found himself looking himself over to make sure everything was where it should be. He sat beside Kershala having just woken up and looked at his surroundings. Despite the sick feeling in his stomach he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement, he was sitting on the bridge of an alien star ship. Likely the first human to be looking at his planet through the viewer of a ship capable of faster than light speeds. The possibilities ahead of him seemed boundless as everything he knew to be reality only a few months ago seemed so insignificant to what his reality was now. He went to go stand up and a light headedness come over him suddenly, he paused and steadied himself on a nearby console.

"Take your time, you are not yet used to the artificial gravity field, most non-spacefaring races have difficulty adjusting to it the first time they experience it," said the AI.

"How long does it usually last?" Kale balanced himself and stood up straight. He hadn't slept well or for very long and he was sure this wasn't helping matters any.

"You should start to notice reduced effects over the course of a couple of hours. I suggest not exerting yourself in the meantime."

"Got it." Kale walked over to the viewer at the front of the bridge that still displayed Earth from a high orbit. He started feeling as though he was looking down from a high place and cracked a smile at the thought of his body reacting to heights. "That's incredible. Completely unbelievable." Kale rested his hand on the screen it didn't react to him, but it was warm to touch. He gazed at the screen at a loss for words when he suddenly had a thought. "Anubis, can you show me the surface of Mars, um, the red one…"

"Yes." The screen went dark briefly and reillumined with an image of the red planet.

"Is this live?" The feed displayed the Mars rover traversing the terrain.

"The sensors on this ship are not often used to collect this type of data but the feed is accurate."

"Is it true what our scientists say? Could it support human life?" Kale wondered at the question.

"It would require extensive Terra-forming to become like your Earth. There is evidence of several major impact events that turned it into the dust ridden mass it is now," Anubis explained. Kale turned at a sound behind him to see Kershala standing up. The shrapnel had all been removed from his body but had left behind scarring that would take time to go away. Kale walked over to him as quickly as he could happy to see him awake. "How do you feel?" Kale suddenly lost his balance and fell forward. Kershala caught him and smiled at him.

"How do you feel? Gravity sickness has taken hold of you I see."

"I guess so," said Kale. Using Kershala for balance he began supporting himself again. Kershala still only had a pair of track pants on from the clothing they had stole and no shirt. The scars left behind were all over the right side of his body and there was dried blood scattered over his chest and dried on his pants. Upon looking Kershala over Kale looked at himself to see that he wasn't much better off, though it was not his blood it was still covering his clothing. He himself only wore a pair of track pants and a short-sleeve shirt. Kale ran his hand over the scarring on Kershala's face. "It's not hurting anymore is it?"

"I am not in pain." Kershala took Kale's hand and kissed his palm. "Do you feel any better after using the teleporter?"

"I'm okay, little dizzy, maybe a little bit of vertigo but I don't feel like puking anymore." Kale smiled and reclaimed his hand before looking back at the viewer. Kershala stepped away from him and walked toward the screen.

"What are we looking at?"

"Mars actually." Kale walked slowly up behind him. "Just one of the planets in our neighbourhood."

"Anubis are you able to interface with the navigational system yet?" Kershala turned around to face the AI core that had been affixed to one of the consoles.

"I have been able to access it though I've not yet learned how the interface works, it will not be long, however. Kershala I suggest you familiarize yourself with this vessel as we may be on it for awhile."

"I agree. Kale and I shall look around." Kershala walked toward a rounded doorway positioned on the back wall of the bridge.

"Maybe we can find some new cloths," said Kale as he followed. They stepped up to the door and Kershala looked around at the frame. "What are you looking for?"

"It should open as we approach. Anubis are the doors locked down?"

"I have kept this shut to prevent anyone or anything from moving throughout the ship freely when we first came on board. I will sync them to your implant for easy access." A half second passed, and the door opened into a small lift, the two of them stepped in. "I will send you to the main living deck." There was a light buzzing noise as the lift moved but Kale couldn't feel any motion and seemingly only seconds later the door opened into a long-darkened hallway. They stepped off the lift and Kale felt a certain feeling of dread come over him, the lighting was a far cry from the well-lit bridge.

"Talk about a tone change. Why is it so dark?" he asked.

"Do not be afraid, the ship is likely set to conserve power, and if anything is here," Kershala took Kale's hand and looked at him, "I will protect you." Kale could feel the heat rushing to his face and was suddenly glad for the darkness. They proceeded down the hallway, the walls and floors were made of a greyish metal. Kale could see raised paneling every couple of meters that he assumed were maintenance access ports. The atmosphere was completely quiet almost like they existed in a vacuum. Kale could hear Kershala's laboured breathing as they walked, telling him that he wasn't being completely honest with him about his condition. It wasn't long before they were at another door. Kershala turned to face it and it opened. The door opened to a room that was about the size of Kale's apartment. They entered cautiously looking for any movement or traps as they examined the room before them. The walls were lined with what looked to be well used technology, Kale could tell that these were computers even though they were alien in nature. The screens were flashing a series of glyphs across them in a green hue.

"Can you read any of this?" asked Kale as he walked up to the holographic monitors trying to find an interface.

"Yes, it is displaying a warning about the AI's invasion of its computer core." Kershala stood beside Kale and looked over the displays.

"This technology doesn't look as advanced as what I saw in your pod, do you know how to work it."

"You are correct this technology is likely stolen and very old, Daoran technology has always been focused more on science where as this ship has clearly been outfitted for battle. All other systems are treated as secondary," Kershala explained. Kale watched Kershala touch his implant and the screens began changing and funneling through information.

"It's just that easy for you to interface with it? Isn't that dangerous?"

"It would have been, had the AI not intercepted the ships cyber warfare suite. Now it is basically a river of information." Kershala seemed to occupy himself with the computers as Kale turned to explore the rest of the room. It was clear that this was the Arktora's personal quarters. He walked deeper into the room to examine what looked like a large bed sat beside a window on the wall. He could only see the stars through it, telling him the orientation of the ship. As he got closer, he could see that what he assumed was the bed didn't appear very comfortable, there were no blankets or pillows and it was made of the same metal the floors were. Next to it there was a tubular casing with a door on it, he opened it up and pushed a panel on the side of it. A blue light activated and there was a buzzing sound, it reminded Kale of a sterilization chamber. He jumped back at first not sure what to expect at the noise or if it would be safe for his skin. "That is a grooming station," said Kershala without looking away from what he was doing. "It uses a combination of light and sound to remove dirt from the skin. Clearly the only thing in here not used very often."

"Well why don't we use it to get cleaned up? Get that blood off your body."

"I am almost done with what I am doing? You may use it first, it will not hurt you." Kale looked back at Kershala standing in front of the monitors and then back to the machine that had apparently ran its cycle and shut off.

"Um do I take my clothes off?" Kale looked inside the machine trying to determine how it functioned, there was no visible parts other than a light panel at the top of it.

"Only for my benefit, the machine will work either way." Kale looked over at Kershala to see he had cracked a small smile. With that the clothes came off and he stepped into the machine hitting the activation panel on the way in. At first, he didn't really feel anything only a slight heat from the light as it turned on, likening the experience to a tanning bed. He started to feel a beating against his skin like he was standing in front of his speaker. Dirt and blood had caked onto his body during both the scuffle with the soldiers and the process of removing the shrapnel from Kershala's body. The beating seemed to be loosening the visible mess from his skin and it seemed to be evaporating as it fell from him. He smiled to himself as he stared down at his feet, thinking about how many new experiences he was in store for in whatever was to come. Each thing he found seemed to be stranger and more interesting than the last.

"I should have left my clothes on, unless there's some kind of Shironian washing machine here somewhere."

"We will wash the clothing afterwards." The cycle finished and Kale looked up to be staring Kershala in the face. As much as Kale wanted to stay in with him the whole idea seemed less romantic than a shower together. The predetermined amount of time the cycle took place and the fact that they wouldn't both fit in the machine comfortably didn't help. Kershala had removed his clothing and left it on the floor as he opened the door to the machine. Kale smiled at him as he stepped out brushing his hand across his abdomen. Kershala shut the door and the cleaning cycle activated. Kale looked at the dirty clothing on the floor of the cabin, not wanting to put dirty clothing on after being cleaned up. He shrugged his shoulders and sat on the cold surface of the bed, flinching at first as the cold material touched his bare skin. He sat and looked out the window staring into space.

"So where will we go from here?" he asked as he gazed.

"I am not sure, I know of a few systems where the Shironian influence is minimal. It may be a good idea to head to one of them and lay low," Kershala paused, "We won't be able to keep this vessel, no matter where we go, we will most likely be perceived as hostile."

"Have you thought of maybe using it to attack the one who killed your …" Kale didn't finish the question, not sure if now was the time for the discussion.

"I had not considered it."

"Are we going to just run forever? I don't think these guys are going to give up and just let you be." There was a pause and Kale turned to look at Kershala who was clearly contemplating the statement.

"You are right Kale. But I am not alone now, and I need to consider your safety as well." The cycle ended and Kershala stepped out into the cabin and picked up the clothing. He threw it into the machine and activated it. Kale watched as he walked back to the computer monitors that hung on the wall and looked up at them. "There is much more information here than I expected to find. Travel logs, star charts… victim profiles. This creatures name before it was changed was Jinnar."

"Is that significant in some way?"

"No, but it was believed that the Arktora held no memory of their previous life, this proves that theory wrong. The AI will have to catalog what we've found here to see if there is anything we can use." Kershala walked back to the machine as the unit finished its cycle and grabbed their clothing. He tossed Kale his and they each got dressed. "We should continue our exploration." Kale nodded and they exited the room back into the corridor.

Kershala had found some very disturbing information in the Arktora's database. He didn't feel it important to share with Kale but the profile the Arktora had been given on him seemed more extensive than he had first thought it should be. Not only did it contain intelligence reports on he and his family's movements but recent information suggesting that the ship had been in orbit for awhile collecting information on his interactions with Kale and the other humans. Even after the Arktora had been dispatched the ship continued to gather information on him from orbit. It had effectively been watching him. With the cyber defence system inactive it no longer mattered as it was not watching, but the fact that the technology had been that honed on him was troublesome. All he could do was hope that none of the information had been transmitted to anyone else. As they walked the implant took readings of their surroundings, there was no sign of anyone else ever being alive on the ship as a crew mate proving the Daoran theories about Arktora operations correct in that they worked alone. They had come to another door the implant could only detect a small room on the other side with what read like storage units. He stepped in front of the door causing it to open and he and Kale walked in. It was indeed filled with storage units.

"Maybe we can find a change of cloths in these," said Kale as he walked over to one of the units. "How do we open them?" The units were cube shaped with no interface point visible. The implant couldn't get any readings through the units themselves, but he could see the electronic lock.

"I can unlock them using my implant but there does not seem to be any external interface present." Kershala walked over to the box Kale stood beside and looked it over. "I cannot get any readings from inside, stand back I will unlock it." Kale took a step back and Kershala used his implant to deactivate the locking mechanism. The unit sprung to life as the top lifted and slid to the side held on by two arms on either side of the unit itself. Steam poured from the box and as it cleared Kershala was pretty sure he was looking at food stores. It was mostly fruit and vegetables but there were some dehydrated meats as well. The implant told him it would be safe for both of them to eat as he reached in and grabbed one of the teal colored fruit and took a bite of it.

"That's lucky," said Kale, "Is it safe for me to eat?" All Kershala could do was nod as he chewed the sweet tasting fruit. It had been so long since he had tasted a kralar fruit he couldn't believe how much he missed it. "I've never seen you smile while you eat before," Kale chuckled.

"I have not had one of these since my Matriarch used to have them in her garden." Kershala offered fruit to Kale and as he took it, he looked it over. "It is very sweet, you will like it. And very juicy it will quench your thirst." Kale took a bite of the fruit and Kershala watched his facial expression he could see that he was enjoying it.

"You're right, it's really good." Kale wiped at his face as the juice ran down his cheek. Kershala grabbed another one out of the box and they proceeded to eat their fill. They hadn't really thought about eating since they got to the ship with everything that had led them to this point. But it was clear that they were both incredibly hungry, eating most of what was in the box aside from the meats. Kershala knew that it wouldn't be strange for the Arktora to potentially eat its victims, so they abstained. "I wonder if all these boxes are food?" Kale got to his feet and walked over to a pile of boxes in the opposite corner. Kershala stood up and using his implant closed the unit containing food and reactivated the lock.

"Let's find out." Kershala unstacked the units and sat them each beside each other. The boxes weren't heavy, but they could have been made of a material used to lighten the load of a vessel. They unlocked the first couple of them and sure enough there was more food. It was good that they had food onboard since they didn't know when they'd be able to restock again. The next one they opened contained clothing from several different cultures. None of it appeared to have been warn according to the implant's scans, it could find no traces of DNA or chemical traces left behind by cleaning products. "This is likely something it picked up at a merchant on one of it's planetary stops."

"Seems so strange for them to be feared wherever they go but they can also just go shopping," said Kale.

"They pay small prices in exchange for the merchant's safety." Kale pulled some of the clothing out of box and held it up.

"This looks like a fit." As Kale began putting the outfit on Kershala moved on to the next containment unit. As it unlocked it revealed a compartmentalized tool box with several precise tools Kershala could already tell could be used to repair the AI core. "That looks useful." Kale glanced in before stepping into the clothing. It turned out what he picked up was actually a body suit. "Hey, can you zip me up? Feels like a really comfortable onesie." Kershala stood up and Kale turned around, he found the seal on it.

"This is actually a carbon fiber suit, it will help protect you from certain types of energy weapons for a couple of shots should the need occur." The white and blue body suit fit Kale well and Kershala admired his curves underneath it.

"Then it's a good choice then." Kale turned and smiled at Kershala seemingly knowing that he was looking him over.

"Indeed." Kershala went back to the box he had opened deciding the time was not right and used the implant to scan through it quickly. "I can use these to repair the AI. On our way back to the bridge I will bring this box with me to get it started." Kershala resealed the box and moved onto the next two they only contained more food. After Kale found a similar body suit for Kershala the two of them exited the room and headed back into the hallway.


	15. Chapter 15

"These suits are really comfortable for what're they made of," said Kale. "It seems a little odd though that the Arktora would have these. They obviously wouldn't fit it; I wonder if there was ever someone else on this ship with it." They continued walking as Kale spoke, Kershala paying more attention to the layout of the hallway and the components of the ship. He could see where parts had been taken from other sources and merely added to the design. "Do you think it kept slaves at one time maybe?" Kershala stopped and looked at Kale who was a step behind him.

"The information contained in it's personal computer would suggest so yes." Kershala's connection told him that Kale was disturbed by this information and his features showed this as well.

"What do you think happened to them?" asked Kale swallowing hard seemingly already knowing the answer.

"They outlived their usefulness. Must we go into details, Kale?" Kershala stepped up to him to offer a shoulder of comfort and took his hands. Kale put his arms around Kershala's waist and pulled him in close.

"I hate to think what would have happened if you didn't win that fight on the hill that day." Kales stare was powerful and Kershala could see that something was making him emotional. Kershala brought a hand up to rest of Kale's cheek and leaned into a kiss.

"I am sorry that I cannot give you more reassurance Kale, but you give me a good reason to stay free," said Kershala as he pulled from the kiss and met his lovers gaze.

"It's okay, I'm sorry I think the last few weeks are starting to catch up with me again." Kale took a step back from Kershala.

"Do you want to go back to the bridge for awhile?"

"No, I'll be fine, I just needed a little bit of closeness." Kale took a couple of steps down the hallway toward the next door. "I wouldn't mind a little bit more, next time we can get a little bit of privacy…" Kershala smiled at Kale and walked past him on to what seemed to be the last room on this floor as he approached the door it rushed open. Taken aback Kershala was hit with a flush of rotten smelling air as it permeated his senses from the room ahead. Kale gagged at the smell and attempted to cover his mouth. "Oh my god, what's that smell?" he asked through the arm he covered his nose and mouth with. They walked into the room and Kershala was suddenly hit with a certain unrecognizable fear remaining silent as he took in their surroundings. Kale seemed to get used to the smell and Kershala stood looking around the room.

It was quickly becoming clear by what they saw what kind of room it was. The room was easily two thousand square feet in size, in the middle there was a huge vat of boiling liquid that was undoubtedly the source of the smell and the heat. The wall immediately in front of them was lined with seemingly different types of body armors of varying configurations. Kershala recognized from the varying limb counts and orientations of them that they were from different species, some familiar some not. Some of them were clearly humanoid others clearly weren't. On the left wall high above them several skeletons were held in place by an energy field of sorts, some clearly or presumably animal others were humanoids of several scalable sizes. Below that several large pelts covered the wall and at floor level on a shelf were several vials of colored liquids. The implant quickly recognized the liquids as blood plasma, given the rest of the room, this was not a surprise. On the right wall there was several unrecognizable items, personal items.

"This is a trophy room," Kale gasped and covered his mouth. He walked up to Kershala and retook his hand. Kershala barely noticed, lost in all the information the implant was taking in.

"This creature has caused so much pain across the galaxy." Kershala spoke low and walked deeper into the room. The door shut behind them startling Kale.

"You stopped it, that's all that matters." Kershala let Kale's hand fall away from his as he walked to the right wall of the room. There was a table extended from the wall with several tools on it. There were blades ranging from three to ten inches in size all stained with blood, hooks and chains with what appeared to be dried up pieces of flesh and fur stuck to them. "Brutal," Kale whispered. Kale walked a few feet from where he was standing when something triggered on the wall. A compartment opened and startled Kale jumped back, Kershala was quickly at his side. A mechanical arm now protruded from the wall with a humanoid clasped upright in its four clawed hand. The body fell limp and seemed to be preserved, once they could get a good look at it, they could tell that this poor creature had been through a lot. "Oh my god." The creature's body had been skinned all except for its head. Its features were almost dog like in appearance, three toes and fingers on each hand it's face with an elongated snout and large eyes, its ears sat on top of its head protruding upwards. Kershala took intense scans with the implant determining what had happened. "What is this … person?" asked Kale.

"It is a Turaleon," Kershala answered before reaching out and touching the creature's foot. Kershala's voice shook as he spoke. "From what the implant tells me it was likely alive while it was skinned. There are struggle marks and lacerations all over this poor creature." Kershala paused and turned to the front corner of the left room. His implant was getting a familiar ping. "Something over here is reacting to my…" He paused and stopped walking at the sight of something in the corner. Kale walked past him and saw what he was looking at. A small sterile shelf protruded from the wall that was about two feet wide, on top were a collection of small metal objects. Kale looked back at Kershala, his breathing had become erratic and Kale could see tears he could feel forming in his eyes. "They are… implants." Kale asked the question with his eyes. He watched Kershala walk slowly over to them. There was a type of energy barrier around the shelf that deactivated as Kershala got in arms reach of it he stopped right in front of it. "There are so many," Kershala reached out and picked up one of the small devices. "Anubis, are you there?"

"I am, Kershala," Anubis voice seemed to be coming from the walls of the ship as it had synced with the ship's computer.

"I can't narrow down which of them is active to interface with." The readings were jarring and Kershala's implant seemed confused at the implants being on their own.

"Several of them are active but regrettably most of them are very old and without a body their power cores have long faded."

Kershala picked up one of the implants and suddenly felt sick to his stomach, he could not believe that this Arktora had killed so many of his people. The scans of the implants started to become clearer with the AI's assistance, these Daorans were from all walks of life. Most were not warriors at all but civilians that would have had no chance had they encountered this creature, nor did it have a reason to pursue them. Young of all ages, patriarchs, matriarchs, elders. Kershala was ripped from his thoughts of despair as he felt Kale take his hand stepping up beside him. He looked down at Kale's hand in his and some of the desperately painful emotion he felt was subdued even if only slightly. Kale placed his free hand on the back of Kershala's neck and pulled him into an embrace releasing Kershala's tears into his shoulder. Kershala felt Kale's warm lips touch his cheek briefly before he held him tighter. He could feel an overwhelming sympathy coming from Kale, who seemed to fully understand what Kershala needed from him.

"It's okay," he whispered. "They're at peace now."

"Kershala we must preserve their memories before these implants fail as well," said the AI. "I must use your implant to extract them."

"What? Why?" asked Kershala, Anubis had the ability to read directly from any Daoran implant with no issue and had done so before.

"Because of the way these implants were extracted, their receptors are badly damaged and are experiencing extensive system failures. Your implant will provide a stable connection."

"Begin when you are ready."

"Kershala I must warn you, that you will see these memories as they are transferred to my core. It will likely not be pleasant." Kershala pulled back slightly from Kale's embrace to look him in the eye.

"I'm right here," Kale whispered reaching up and wiping at the tears.

"Begin." Kershala steeled himself emotionally as best he could for what was about to come. He knew that he would likely see the memories starting at the most recent as they would be the most prevalent.

He could feel the implant activating and several of the implants on the shelf before them lit up in sequence small blinking lights that represented the start up sequence taking place. The first one hit him like a warrior's fist, a sudden strong fear coming over him as he felt the emotions of a young Daoran taken from their family. Kershala kept his eyes closed and his arms wrapped tightly around Kale, burying his face in his shoulder. He was suddenly seeing through the eyes of the child; he could hear the screams of the family as the Arktora undoubtedly slaughtered them. It was clear that he was hidden somewhere, from his observations most likely on one of the city-ships the Daora travelled on after they evacuated Yaria. The screams went silent and there was a moment of pause before heavy footfalls somewhere nearby echo seemingly all around him. There was a crash as the piece of furniture he was hiding behind was thrown to the side. He turned to run when something grabbed him, as he tried to get away, he felt a burning pain through his arm as the Arktora snapped it. He screamed out for his patriarch, but no one came as he was lifted into the air by his broken arm. He could smell the Arktora's familiar breath on his face as he was held close. The fear overwhelmed him, and he passed out. Kershala let out a breath expecting the next memory to start but he again opened his eyes as the same child. The burning in his arm still present telling him it was the same memory, this time he was dangling from the very apparatus he and Kale had discovered on the ship. He looked down and was easily ten feet off the ground, the Arktora was standing on a platform in front of him with several tools laid out on a table in front of it. The fear intensified and Kershala could feel tears running down his face as the Arktora spoke. He could tell that the child didn't understand the language but could understand what was being said.

"Your family was barely worth the payment I received for destroying them. My benefactor told me I could have you if I killed you. There wasn't enough of the others left for me to make anything out of." The Arktora picked up a vial and loaded it into an injector with a large needle on it. "This will dissolve the connection your implant has to your brain. Its original concoction was quite docile and used in medical surgery. But I have made a few modifications." Kershala couldn't believe what he was hearing, he knew these creatures were monsters but to subject such a helpless being to something so heinous. The child began crying uncontrollably as the Arktora reached out and placed the injector needle just below the implant and fired the injector. His tiny head jerked like it had been punched the injector had hit so hard and violet blood flowed from the injection site. Kershala felt the body begin to seize and shake as the implant's connections were lost. For a Daora, he could imagine nothing more painful, the implant was deeply imbedded in their nervous system. To remove it at all would require the steadiest of hands and hours of surgery, to do it in this manor, it would be as though every pain receptor were being triggered at the same time. Kershala was pulled back to reality by Kale's voice softly saying his name repeatedly and caressing his face.

"Kershala, Kershala it's okay," he said. "Anubis is this safe for his nervous system why are his eyes doing that?"

"He is safe Kale; he is not seeing all of the memories. Only fractions of ones his mind will find easiest to connect to. The transfer is finished." As the AI stopped speaking Kershala felt the implants deactivating one by one. He was thankful he would not have to endure such memories again.

"A child Kale," he cried, "I saw a child, tortured and terrorized in this very room." Kershala was not only filled with sorrow for the child but anger at the monster behind its demise. "Suspended on this very platform." Kershala pulled from Kale's arms and ran over to the arm that suspended the Turaleon. He looked up at the creature tears streaking his face and rage filling his eyes. "I have to…" Kershala activated the implant and began taking heavy scans of the room figuring out its position within the ship but also searching for a weapon. He detected an energy signature among the personal belongings of the victims. He walked to it and reached into a pile of clothing; it was damp inside likely from the humid air but Kershala found the cold steel weapon he was looking for. He pulled it from the pile.

"What is that Kershala?" asked Kale.

"A phase shifting Indarien energy rifle." Kershala held up the large weapon and quickly checked it over letting the warrior in him take over. He removed and replaced the power cell and it quickly reset. "Stay down." Kershala held the weapon up and opened fire on the wall he faced, the florescent energy projectiles hitting several places on the platform sparks began flying from the wall as power conduits were hit but the arm and platform came crashing down. He felt good watching the equipment come crumbling down before him. He quickly checked the weapon and began opening fire on everything in the room that was taken from someone as a trophy by this monster, effectively erasing its legacy from existence. Everything it held at its most dear would be vaporized at the hands of the man who defeated it. He could feel the weapon getting hot as he fired continuously not letting it cool down. The weapon eventually refused to fire as it had overheated, he dropped the weapon and Kale walked over to him. The room was beginning to get uncomfortably warm from the fires that were left burning. Kershala let the weapon fall to the ground, he felt significantly better knowing that there was no longer anything left of what the Arktora had taken from its victims.

"You're gonna show me how to use that thing right?" Kale smiled before leaning in and kissing his cheek. "Let's get out of here before the smoke inhalation gets us." Kershala was happy that Kale didn't seem bothered by his actions, even though he himself knew them to be bordering on unreasonable.

"Once these items have burned beyond repair, activate the fire suppression systems."

"Yes, Kershala." He could tell from the AI's inflection that it was not happy with his actions, but he didn't care it had to be done. He watched as Kale bent down and picked up the weapon before he left the room and went back into the hallway. "Kershala you should know that I have unlocked the ships navigational controls. Please return to the bridge so that we may get underway." Kershala made eye contact with Kale for a few seconds before walking back the way they came toward the lift that would take them to the bridge.

Kale followed Kershala close behind he felt an excitement come over him at the thought of being the first human to travel at speeds faster than light. They walked in silence stopping only at the storage room to grab the tools they had found to start repairs on the AI core. Kale still carried the Indarien energy rifle in his hands, it was surprisingly light feeling as if it was made of plastic rather than the metal its cold feeling would suggest. The rifle was quite comfortable for something designed by another species.

"What do the Indariens look like?" he asked as they stepped into the lift.

"I do not know I have never seen one," Kershala answered as the lift started. "I have heard that they are from a planet with low gravity, so the equipment they design must be light for them to use it. They aren't known for their physical strength." The lift stopped and they stepped onto the bridge. Kershala sat the tools down beside the AI core and walked to the middle of the bridge. "Are you able to get us going?"

"No, the navigation system requires physical input, when I destroyed the cyber warfare suite it disabled the automated subroutines for much of the ship."

"You can't just reenable them?" asked Kale.

"No, the pathways in the main computer are fused." Anubis left the comment hanging, Kale certainly didn't know how to operate a starship but he'd sure as hell be interested in trying.

"I am assuming that you have downloaded the operations library from the ship and can train me how to operate it," said Kershala looking back at the AI core.

"I have accessed the operations manual and it will require the two of us to pilot the vessel. Please step up to the navigational control interface." Kershala stepped up to the interface Kale walked over but stayed out of the way so Kershala could be properly centered. Kershala put his feet in place and a holographic interface activated. Small braces wrapped around Kershala's feet to hold him into place as the interface moved to his hands, he already seemed to know what to do.

"I will bring the ship around. Kale there are devices in place to block the inertia, but I think you would be best suited if you sat down, you may still feel the motion since this will be your first time in space flight." Kale looked at the screen and then back to Kershala, not wanting him to be right but followed his suggestion anyway and sat on the floor. Kershala made a gesture with his hands and the holographic controls responded, suddenly the ship was turning. Kale watched on the screen in awe at how quickly the ship repositioned itself, on the viewer he watched the moon and the sun pass then they appeared to be looking into space. Kale was sure he could see the planets of the Sol system, but they were small at the great distance they were still away from them. The ship began to lurch forward, and it wasn't long before the moon was no longer visible. Kale could tell they were already moving fast but still sub-light. "I am initiating the charging sequence for the FTL drive." Kale could hear a subtle hum coming from somewhere else in the ship even as they raced towards the stars, Mars was now visible off to the left side viewer.

"Kershala you must adjust our orientation, a jump now will put us into the rings of the sixth planet in the system," said Anubis.

"Saturn," Kale whispered in disbelief. Kershala manipulated the interface causing a minor adjustment in the ships heading.

"Fire the FTL drive," said Kershala. Kale took a deep breath and forced himself to keep his eyes open, he wanted to see everything this experience would be.

"I have fired the drive," said Anubis. Kale looked around at the view screen, but nothing changed, at first, he thought that the hardware may only function at sub-light speeds, but it was soon clear that nothing had happened.

"I don't think it worked," said Kale.

"No, it has not. Firing again." There was a silence across the ship as the hum stopped. "According to the interface the engines should be firing."

"Run a diagnostic on your interface," said Kershala.

"Done," said Anubis after a split second, "My interface is operating within acceptable parameters. The engine core seems to have been manually disconnected from the bridge interface." The ship slowed to a stop facing nothing but nameless stars as Kershala stepped out of the interface. "You must go to the engine room and reconnect the interface." Kershala headed to the lift again and Kale quickly followed him.

"Anubis can the lift take us right to the engine room?" asked Kale.

"Yes, it is where I am sending you, it is on its own deck of the ship." The lift door shut behind them, Kale could tell that Kershala was concerned and he knew they probably wouldn't get very far at sub light speeds. The lift jerked into motion and they were moving toward their destination quickly. It wasn't long before the door opened into a corridor that was brightly lit. "Is that odd?" Kershala seemed hesitant to step off the lift.

"Wait here I will see if it is safe." The helmet on his suit activated and he stepped out into the hallway slowly. Strange machinery seemed to line the corridor and as Kershala stepped out there was a sound of something activating.

"Be careful. I hear something." A blue liquid began spraying from points all over the wall Kale could see it was the same consistency as water, Kershala didn't seem to react to it. "Are you okay?" Kale watched as Kershala looked himself over analyzing the liquid.

"I believe it is safe, it appears that this is the decontamination process. It is strange most newer engine systems don't have this concern." Kale stepped out into the hallway and the liquid started flowing over him. They continued down the hallway and after six feet of the liquid being sprayed on them it changed to a warm wind. The liquid dried almost instantly not remaining on their clothes. Kershala deactivated his helmet as they proceeded down the hallway. Another six feet and the wind stopped, being replaced with an intense ultraviolet light. "This is crazy." They came to the end of the corridor and a large metallic circular door began opening slowly. Kershala put himself between Kale and the doorway until he was sure it was safe. The door finished opening and they stepped into a two-story tall room. In the center of the room was a large clear cylinder with a strange light coursing through it. The room itself appeared to be sterile, there was no odour or any sign of dust floating in the air or on the consoles. Where the cylinder met the floor there were several consoles surrounding it. The room was different than the rest of the ship they had seen so far. "This engine system seems to be the only part of the original ship that is unaltered. The ship does not appear to have originally been Shironian."

"It doesn't look like anyone spent a whole lot of time here," said Kale, "Is it normal for a ship like this to be able to function with only one person on board?"

"The Arktora must have had an AI assistant, not unlike Anubis."

"Does that mean Anubis fought its own version of the Arktora when it got attacked?" Kershala seemed almost like he was ignoring the question when he proceeded into the engine room and took a second lift to the bottom level. As Kershala investigated the engine core itself Kale looked about the room. On the far open wall there was a diagram of the engine core, Kale couldn't understand the language in the labelling, but it didn't match the visible language on the other interfaces he had seen.

"This engine is very fast, but the maintenance required for upkeep makes it very inefficient," said Kershala after an analysis with the implant. "It would have to stop and receive major maintenance every five hundred lightyears or so."

"How do you know that?" asked Kale.

"When I was training for fighting, I was taught sciences. The implant and the AI also provide me further insight." Kershala had made his way down to the lower portion of the room and stood at the console. Kale took the small lift in the middle of the platform to join him.

"Can you figure out what's wrong with it?" asked Kale.

"The engines are active the problem is that they are not receiving the signal to engage at light speed from the navigational computer." Kale looked at the engine core and than at the console in front of him. He had no idea how to accomplish what they were looking at. He didn't like feeling helpless, but he was certainly in over his head.

"This stuff couldn't be farther from anything I could help you with. The only thing I can even suggest is that do you know if its something that's physically severed from the computer or is the signal being actively blocked." Kershala smiled at him and looked from the console to the core.

"You are so much greater than from where you came." Kershala tapped in a few commands on the console. The display in front of him changed something red was flashing. Kale smiled to himself as Kershala worked. "I am going to restart the entire engine core."

"Are you sure that will work Kershala?" the AI spoke from around them. "What if you cannot get the reaction chamber to start again?"

"It will be fine." Kershala walked over to another console and began punching in a sequence on the board. The reaction and movement in the engine core chamber began to slow and change as he worked. "Kale come here; I require an additional set of hands." Kale was surprised but was quickly at Kershala's side excited to be able to help at all. "When I give you the signal, I need you to enter the following sequence into this console." Kale watched Kershala's hands and fingers moving across the console surprisingly the sequence didn't seem that difficult.

"Okay. Does it matter how fast I do it?"

"No, as long as the sequence is what I showed you." Kershala walked back to the first console and Kale took position. He stared at the interface running what Kershala had shown him over and over in his head shadowing his hands over the haptics he would need to hit. Kershala began using the interface and Kale could hear the engine core reacting, he didn't look up as he didn't want to miss his chance or forget the sequence. The core suddenly went silent and Kershala continued interacting with the console. "Okay Kale now." Kale quickly entered in the sequence as he was shown, as he hit the final part, he looked up at the engine core, it went fully black and the room silent.

"Shit what did I do?" asked Kale thinking he had messed up the sequence. There was suddenly a clacking sound from somewhere above them and the core flickered to life. The blackness of the core slowly taken over by the light that once filled it, the reacting light inside began flickering as it had before jumping around chaotically inside the clear tube. Kershala smiled at him.

"Good job."

"You could have told me what to expect, I thought I just doomed us to drift in space forever," Kale laughed.

"Did that fix the interface on the bridge?" asked Kershala.

"Yes, I believe it is now active," Anubis answered. Kale and Kershala quickly made their way back to the lift to the bridge.

"I can't believe we just fixed the ship with turning it off and turning it on again," Kale laughed.

"Why is that?" asked Kershala.

"It's just… never mind." Kershala shrugged as they stepped into the lift. It started quickly and Kale could feel his excitement rising. It wasn't long before they stepped off the lift, Kershala headed to the interface immediately and he was locked in. Kale sat beside him on the floor and looked to the viewscreen. The holographic interface activated and as Kershala manipulated it the ship was once again moving. The familiar hum began to sound as the engines were readied for the jump.

"Activate the FTL jump." Kale felt the ship moving briefly as the jump was initiated. He quickly felt incredibly lightheaded, he felt himself lay back on the floor before he lost consciousness. While he was out, he could feel Kershala moving him to a different position. "Kale can you hear me?" Kershala's voice was low and calming, Kale felt him hoist him to his lap when he started to come to. Kershala's warm hand rested on his face as he opened his eyes and attempted to sit up. "Easy," Kershala stopped him from sitting forward, "your body is getting used to being at FTL speeds. How do you feel?"

"Just a bit dizzy," Kale smiled up at Kershala. "Is it like this for everyone?"

"Not really, but humans have never travelled at these speeds before. There's nothing to compare your experience to." Kershala rested his hand on Kale's chest and looked down his body.

"Are we still moving?" he asked trying to get a look at the main viewer.

"Yes. Once the course is set it can travel with little interference from the pilot."

"Where are we going? You never did say."

"I've put taken us to a place in open space between star systems for now. We will be there in a couple of hours. Then we can plot our next move and I can begin to repair the AI." Kale stared up at the man holding him the way the light hit him made him want to reach out and just touch him. It had been a long time since Kale had felt his lips against Kershala's and the more he thought about it the more he yearned for it. He reached up and rubbed his chest over the fabric of suit he wore and Kershala looked down at him. It wasn't long before the look in his eyes changed and he bent down, their lips met, and Kale wrapped his arm around Kershala's neck. The kiss quickly became more passionate, the taste of Kershala's saliva driving Kale ever forward. Without losing their connection Kale sat up and slowly climbed onto Kershala pushing him down onto the floor as he kept with his intentions. Kershala's hands gliding their way across Kale's body.

"Would it be terrible if we did it right here on the bridge?" Kale breathed pressing his forehead to Kershala's, the dizzy feeling subsided with his distraction.

"It could never be…" Kershala trailed off kissing Kale on the cheek a couple of times before finding his way to his lips again.

"Should something go wrong during the operation of the ship you would be vulnerable, please find another location for this activity," said Anubis. Kale had all but forgotten about the AI's recent disdain for him in the last few weeks, since it had not been vocal of its opinion. Kale kissed Kershala again before pulling back and slowly getting to his feet.

"Let's go down to that living quarters we found. At least there's a bed," Kale suggested. He steadied himself on one of the consoles nearby still not having fully recovered from the loss of consciousness. Kershala stood up, his frustration with the situation showing in his features.

"Kershala I may also still require your assistance with the navigational system." Kershala slammed a hand down on the nearby console out of frustration.

"It is right. We should remain focused on our current situation." He came to Kale and rested his hands on his waist leaning into his body. "I want to feel you so bad though." Kershala spoke through a deep breath.

"It's okay," Kale ran his hand through Kershala's hair and kissed his ear. "I'm still not going anywhere." Kershala nuzzled into Kale's face before abruptly pulling away as if it was difficult for him to do so. Kale had never had someone be so passionately into him before and he was really growing to like it. "So, where do we go, once we're into open space?"

"We must eventually deal with my hunter, but we need help there is no way I can take it on my own," said Kershala.

"We may find the Daoran resistance willing to aid us," said Anubis.

"There's a Daoran resistance?" Kale was under the very grim impression that Kershala was likely the last of his kind. "Why didn't you tell me about them?" Kershala didn't speak but just turned away it was clearly a sore topic for him.

"The Patriarch of Kershala's family was forced out by the resistance as they thought it would be too dangerous for them to keep us around," explained Anubis.

"I do not think they would help us, they had too many lives to protect and thought that the demon was only after me and my family. They are under the impression that once they get all of us, they will leave the rest of the Daoran's alone. They are foolish, they would rather be forever adrift in space as nomads then to return to our home world and fight for its freedom."

"Doesn't sound like much of a resistance." Kale couldn't believe that after everything he had learned about the Daoran people that they would leave one of their own out to die on his own. "Sounds more like a bunch of pacifists."

"They would likely not call themselves the resistance anymore."

"How do you know they wouldn't help us? Everything you've told me about your people says they will help us. What if we could offer them something that they never thought they'd ever see?"

"My thought precisely, Kale," said Anubis, "No Daoran has ever fought an Arktora and lived to tell about it. No Daoran has gained access to the personal computer of an Arktora before. The information contained on its personal computer alone should be enough to entice the resistance leaders into a new thought. Kershala you are now the greatest warrior in the Daoran race, they will follow you."

"Do you even know where to find them?" asked Kershala turning to the AI.

"I have the last location of the Typhonus city ship."

"And you are sure that it is still in one piece?"

"Kershala that is information that is impossible to know for certain." Kale could tell that Kershala really didn't want to go to these people the whole ordeal seemed to be bringing out his less desirable character traits. Kershala stayed silent and entered the navigational interface interacting with it. Kale could see on the view screen that the ship was changing course and he wondered where this ship was located.

"How long will it take us to get there?" he asked.

"It will take us little more than a day to reach the system they were last known to be in." Kershala stayed in the navigational interface and Kale got the feeling he was pouting over the decision they had reached. Kale stayed quiet and sat down next to him with the Indarien rifle in hand. He looked the rifle over trying to get a feel for how to use it. It seemed practical for him to become familiar with firearms since he likely wouldn't be able to fight hand to hand with most things, they were likely to encounter.


	16. Chapter 16

Several hours had passed and they had all been quiet the whole time. Kale had figured out the rifle with a little bit of help from Kershala on how to read some of the symbols. Kershala himself had left the navigation interface for a couple of hours and was hard at work repairing the AI core. Anubis had been walking him through it almost step by step even though Kershala insisted that he knew what he was doing. Kale could feel himself getting tired but didn't want to leave until he thought Kershala might leave with him. He felt strange, he had been sleeping alone for the last few years but now that he was used to laying with Kershala he didn't want to sleep alone anymore. Then he realized how clingy he was being and stood up.

"I think I'm gonna go catch some sleep before we get to where we're going. I wanna be rested when you introduce me to these people," Kale smiled as he picked the rifle up and headed for the lift.

"Are you sure?" asked Kershala looking up from what he was working on. He had set up a workstation on a table to the far right of the bridge. "I am almost done with this section of the repairs; I will be down shortly."

"Yeah I'm sure. I'm gonna fall asleep on my feet if I stay here. Come down when you're ready okay," said Kale. Kershala nodded and Kale stepped into the lift. As the door shut, he leaned back against the wall. The dizziness had left him after the first hour or so of travel and now it didn't seem to bother him at all anymore. It wasn't long before the lift stopped, and the door opened. The dimly lit hallway was now looming ahead of him and without someone else there with him it was quite unnerving.

He stepped off the lift and into the quiet hallway, as he walked the only immediate sound were his footfalls, he came to the doorway to the living quarters and the door opened. As he walked in the first thing he noticed, was the light reflecting from the window beside the bed, it was like they were travelling through a tunnel of light. He stepped in and the door slid shut behind him, he sat and listened at the door for several seconds before moving on. "You're freaking yourself out, there's nothing to worry about." He shook his head and walked to the bed and sat down. Surprisingly the metal wasn't cold like he expected to feel. He sat the weapon beside the bed and laid back, rubbing his eyes realizing how tired he really was. It didn't matter that he had no blankets or pillow he closed his eyes and was already starting to fall asleep. It wasn't long as he lay there halfway between fully asleep and dozing that he thought he heard something move in the room. He quickly shot up and looked around the room not seeing anything. As large as the room was made it hard to know if he would even be able to see anything right away. There were several things that something could hide behind. He rubbed his face not sure if his mind was just playing tricks on him given that it could just be another effect of the FTL travel. He slowly laid back down this time laying on his side so he wouldn't be able to look at the rest of the room, he stared at the window the light flickered from and tried to focus on it to put himself back to sleep. He was starting to think un-rationally, given all the beings that lost their lives at the hands of the Arktora and what could potentially be lingering in that trophy room from the atrocities committed. "Space ghosts really? You need to shut off." There was another sound, this time quick moving and very much like light footsteps. Kale shot up again and looked around the room suddenly feeling like he was not alone. He grabbed the rifle from where he had sat it and turned it on. He looked slowly around the room, there was nothing out of place but as he looked around, but he felt suddenly uneasy. Given everything he had learned in the last few months he imagined cloaking technology wasn't such a far stretch from reality anymore. He stood up from the bed and readied the rifle he held his breath and stayed as quiet as he could. "Anubis are you there?" he asked quietly, but there was no response. Anubis was either incapacitated due to the repairs its core was undergoing or it wasn't monitoring because Kershala wasn't with him. If there was something in the room with him, he was otherwise alone with no to contact Kershala. He could feel himself starting to sweat a bead of water running down his forehead, it was so quiet he could hear his heartbeat. He put his back to the wall and slowly scanned every corner of the room. He stopped and focused on the corner opposite him, he could see some sort of distortion and an almost humanoid shape that seemed to be standing and looking at him. The light from the window stopped shining as the ship seemed to drop out of FTL. Kale took his eyes off the corner to look at the window and could see the ship didn't appear to be moving. He quickly looked glanced back to what he had been staring at and whatever it was, rushed him. He managed to get a shot off hitting the figure in the chest making it visible, whatever it was it was wearing some kind of protective suit. He couldn't get a look at much of it before he was grappling with it. It grabbed the weapon and easily ripped it from his grip throwing it to the ground. "Holy shit," he called. Whatever it was took a step back from him, he did his best to get his composure. "I'm not here to cause any trouble don't hurt me." Kale didn't know what else to do, all he could do was hope that somehow this thing would understand him and stand down.

"Pishar!" it yelled at him. Kale immediately recognized the Daoran insult, it had to be a Daoran. Before he could react, the person rushed him again. Kale quickly thought back to his training with Kershala and had to hope that this person was not as fast as Kershala. It swung at his head and he knew if it connected it would easily overpower him. He dodged as quick as he could managing to just stay out of its range. At first it seemed surprised when it missed clearly not expecting Kale to move like he did.

"Come on man I'm not an enemy." It came at him again and Kale took up an attack posture taking a few swings and landing a couple of hits to the attacker's head. It hurt his hand, but the adrenaline took over and he barely felt it. The attacker became more aggressive moving faster Kale managed to block a few of the hits with his arms. The carbon fibers of the suit must have been protecting him as he felt pain but not like what he expected. He took a quick jab to the side and it took everything he had not to crumble under the pain. "Alright if you won't be reasonable, I'm gonna have to try harder." Kale knew he had to get to the weapon and that he wouldn't be able to keep this up for long. He jumped at the attacker throwing a heavy punch and missing but rolling past him and falling right beside the weapon. He grabbed it and rolled into a prone position; he fired the weapon twice both shots missing but hitting behind his attacker causing sparks to fly out of the wall. At the distraction he quickly jumped to his feet and ran out of the room. His attacker quickly chased him and as he ran down the hall toward the lift, he could hear footsteps behind him. It sounded like more than one person chasing him. Suddenly a fountain of sparks erupted from above him as he ran down the hall he ducked and rolled out of the way dropping his weapon. He turned around and something cracked him across the face hard. He fell to the ground and instinctively put his hands up so they could see him. "I surrender don't kill me." Kale could taste blood in his mouth and was sure they had knocked a tooth out or something, the blood quickly filling his mouth. They pulled him to his feet the one he had skirmished with held a weapon on him while another grabbed the rifle from the floor. They spoke back and forth, Kale couldn't understand a word, but he knew they were Daoran. He decided to stay quiet not wanting to antagonize them, all he could do was hope that Kershala would sort everything out.

Kale had just taken the lift from the bridge and Kershala was still working on the tertiary command module of the secondary command core in the AI's bioneural relay. His implant was giving him a microscopic view of the area he was working on. The tools he found had been instrumental in starting the repairs, mainly consisting of incredibly precise low powered laser tools. He had found the start of the fusing caused by the overload and had been working tirelessly to repair the command module. It had been a couple of years since he had done any type of precise repair work on anything, having only repaired the engines on his pod when possible in recent years. The AI had been for the most part walking him through it even though he had downloaded the core schematic and new what he needed to do. The AI could give him live feedback as he went, he could also tell that it was worried about the process. It had never been attacked in such a way before and it was a new experience for it having to rely on him for the repairs.

"Once you have correctly bypassed the interlink module, you must remove it. Once this is complete my bioneural net will work to form new pathways," said the AI.

"I am aware, but it is taking much longer than I anticipated." Kershala was starting to feel strain on the implant as he worked it wasn't often that he used it to create a constant image based on scans. This process could prove strenuous on his nervous system and he was starting to feel it.

"I might remind you that while you are repairing my core, I have very little monitoring capability for the ship."

"Yes, I am aware." As Kershala spoke he was able to finish the block he was working on when the ship unexpectedly dropped out of FTL speeds. He sat the tools on the desk and stood up to look at the main viewer. "We aren't there already, are we?" he asked walking over to the navigational interface.

"We should not be, with my interface severed I am not able to determine the cause of the power loss." Kershala looked over the navigational computer the information displayed did not make sense.

"There seems to be something preventing us from generating a propulsion field." No sooner had he finished his sentence he could feel his connection to the AI dampen significantly. He quickly turned around and deployed his helmet immediately sensing that something wasn't right. "Can you re-establish?" He could hear the AI speaking but it was so quiet he was not able to determine what it was saying. He turned again only to have something reaching for him cloaked to the naked eye, but the implant could see it was someone in an environmental armor suit. Instinctively he reacted in self defence and used his elbow to break the encroaching figures arm. There was a scream in pain as the person fell to the floor. A second passed when he felt something dig into his back and he knew someone was pointing a weapon at him. He quickly moved right the weapon going off and hitting the viewer, he quickly disarmed his opponent and went in swinging. To his surprise his attacker seemed to be close in matching him only being able to land a few hits before he took a heavy blow to the face. The nanites that made up the helmet took the hit with no issue and as Kershala struck back the imposing body seemed to be going on the defensive. As he fought suddenly his thought turned to Kale, these beings were clearly stronger than any human could be. This thought echoed in his head and he fought harder landing a succession of heavy hits to his attacker causing them to crumble to their knees. Kershala jumped to the lift, the door opened, and he jumped into it.

Kershala used his implant to shut off the safeties in the lift causing it to fly to its location faster than normal. Mere seconds after he stepped on it the door opened quickly and he stepped off into the hallway. He stuck to the shadows and crept down the corridor toward the living quarters. The implant picked up Kale's blood on the floor just beyond the doorway. He could hear muffled speaking at the other end of the corridor and as he crept closer, he realized that it was indeed the Daoran language they were speaking though the dialect was different than his own. He came to the end of the corridor where the living quarters was located to find that the group of them were inside. He could hear four distinct voices coming from within the room, they had left the door open. His used the implant to get the exact positions of where they were standing hoping to gain a tactical advantage. He found it strange that he hadn't been able to detect their implants right away if they were in fact Daora. The implant detected one next to the doorway that was indeed facing away from the entrance. If these were other Daora he knew that he would be safe, but he couldn't say the same for Kale and given the fact he was already bleeding he wasn't sure what he would find. He didn't want to have to hurt any of them, but he wouldn't let them harm Kale either. He slipped into the room and quickly grabbed the one by the door disarming him and using he weapon to hold him hostage. The others turned quickly toward him and he could see Kale in a familiar binding kneeling on the floor. His hands were bound and there was blood running down the side of his face.

"Kershala I think they are Daoran," Kale called upon seeing him. He could tell that Kale's wounds were likely superficial. The others raised their weapons and trained them on him, he could feel that the one in his arms was tense but not trying to escape.

"Are you okay en'saba?" Kershala spoke calmly to try and bring Kale comfort. Though he was collected on the surface he could tell that Kale was fearful, but he could feel that he was hopeful now that Kershala had come for him. The tallest of the three attackers stepped forward.

"Who are you and how did you get this ship?" she spoke in Daoran.

"I defeated the Arktora that owned it and we commandeered this vessel to use in pursuit of Baraketh the Hunter." Kershala felt dirty even speaking his name.

"Nonsense. No one has ever defeated an Arktora and what's worse the one named Jinnar was among the worst." The figure took another step forward. "The only way you could have gotten onto this ship would be to collaborate with the Shironian Empire. And since you speak Daoran, you must be a traitor to our people. Let go of my officer." Kershala commanded the nanites in his helmet to devour the top half of his suit revealing his markings knowing that they would identify his family line.

"I assure you; I am no traitor. I am Kershala, my Patriarch was Yailar."

"Yailar?" The man he held whispered and the other two seemed to suddenly be questioning their resolve. "I cannot believe you are still alive."

"Lenari, quiet!" said the women.

"I am sorry Commander Atondra." Kershala felt he no longer needed to hold the man he had restrained and let his arm fall. As he did the man turned to face him and his helmet retracted to reveal a young face. "Yailar saved my family on the Ataria city ship. The resistance leaders claimed that his entire family was killed just recently in the Akia system." The young man threw his arms around Kershala. It had been a long time since Kershala had been around Daora other than his family, the connection and emotion was refreshing.

"Lenari." The leader, Atondra walked over to them and pulled the young man away. "Go back to the ship." Lenari took a step back and tapped a part of his suit causing him to be teleported off the ship.

"Kershala what's going on?" asked Kale. Kershala hadn't realized that he had instinctually began speaking in Daoran and that Kale had no idea what was being said.

"It is okay. Do not worry." Kershala let the nanites rebuild his suit and retreat into the implant as he stepped passed Atondra and helped Kale to his feet. "Remove the bindings, he is human, and a friend."

"He also fought with Lenari and managed to shoot him with this," Atondra threw the Indarien rifle to the ground beside her, "Good thing our suits have a fair amount of protection against energy weapons."

"We thought we were under attack. I fought with two of your people on the bridge, you will find them alive." Kershala touched Kales face wiping away at the blood. "If you do not remove them I will." Atondra nodded to one of the other officers and they walked over to Kale. He tapped in a sequence on his wrist and passed it over the binding causing it to fall away. "The AI will confirm my identity and what we have been through."

"You have one of our AI?" Atondra's tone changed to that of surprise. "Why didn't it respond to our scans?"

"Its secondary processes were severely damaged in our effort to acquire this ship and make our retreat. We did not account for the cyber warfare suite on board."

"It is good to know that more of our AI are active and that they can rival the Shirona Arktora's defence system," said Atondra.

"You are obviously of the Daoran resistance, why did you attack us?" asked Kershala.

"Our scans are not able to penetrate the hull of this ship. No doubt an upgrade picked up along the Arktora's travels. We recognized the configuration of this ship from the archives and thought it a good opportunity to deal with it," Atondra explained.

"Did you really bring the Typhonus here to attack an Arktora?" Kale was standing on his own but sticking close to Kershala.

"No, I was on a mission to the nearby Lakora system to acquire supplies in my ship, the Sironia. We detected you on our way back." Atondra walked to the window and looked outside. "It is hidden in the Nebula, four hundred parsecs to port."

"You are fortunate, you did not run into the Arktora. It would have easily defeated you and your people. I almost died when I fought it, it took everything in me and more to defeat it."

"I guess luck was on our side."

"And ours, we were heading to the last known location of the Typhonus, we seek refuge. Will you take us to it?" Kershala helped Kale to sit down on the bed.

"Once I have consulted with your AI, we will get underway."

"Kershala, are we safe?" Kale looked between Atondra and her officers and Kershala.

"Yes Kale, they are of the resistance, they will take us to the city ship Anubis spoke of."

"Okay well let me know what's going on. It's really strange not being able to understand what you guys are saying." Kale flinched and put his hand to his jaw. "I gotta be careful one of them cracked me while we were fighting. Might be worse than I thought."

"I am impressed at the skill you displayed. She told me what happened," Kershala smiled through his concern. He knew that the Sironia would likely have a medical staff that could help Kale after a few quick scans. "I must go with her to the bridge to consult with the AI. I will be back." Kale nodded and returned the smile before laying back on the bed.

"I'm gonna try and nap for a bit. Let me know what happens." Kershala touched the back of Kale's head before standing up and walking to the doorway to the room.

"Come with me. The AI is on the bridge." The four of them stepped out into the hall leaving Kale alone in the bedroom. "Why am I not able to detect your implants?"

"Our equipment has been designed for stealth; it blocks the low-band transmissions the implants give off." With that Atondra's helmet withdrew into her chest plate. Her features easily fit her stoic tone. Her long neck and thin jawline accompanied by her shaved head told Kershala what he needed to know of her. Her markings ran up the back of her neck into a unique design that circled her head. He could feel their implants communicating, he could tell that she was a strong leader, respected by her crew.

"It is nice to feel this connection again." They stepped onto the lift and proceeded to the bridge. As they arrived and stepped off the lift Kershala could tell that the AI was aware of what had been going through interaction with his implant. He instructed it to keep in depth details about the Arktora hidden to be used as bargaining tools later, also noting Atondra's lack of reaction to his father's name. He could also tell the AI had already acquired the crew manifest of the Sironia and the Typhonus. The two of Atondra's companions Kershala had fought had now come to. She gestured to them as they turned to face them from the teleporter area, they quickly relaxed their body language showing relief likely that they wouldn't have to fight anymore.

"Where is it?" asked Atondra.

"I am here." The AI core sprung to life and floated over to them hovering a few feet in front of them.

"I have not seen an AI core in so long." Kershala found it strange that Atondra seemed stricken with the AI.

"Does the Typhonus not have its own AI?" he asked.

"Yes, but it is not like this one. And the core has been safely embedded in the ship since it's installation," Atondra explained. Kershala could tell she was scanning the AI core and could see the moment in her the AI synced with her implant.

"What are you showing her?" he asked as Atondra's expression seemed to go blank.

"My records of the day we fled to Earth and your battle with the Arktora." Kershala looked down at the floor remembering his family.

"Karu," he whispered and raised his head with misty eyes. Atondra came out of the daze and looked at him. He could see the raw emotion in her eyes though she chose not to let it out.

"Kershala…" she paused. "You have been through so much." She stepped over to him and took him into her arms like a true matriarch letting her strength of spirit comfort him. The familiar feeling of a matriarch's embrace was not lost on him and he did not resist. "Yailar taught you well. Lucky for those humans you chose not to listen to his advice more recently." She chuckled and took a step back. "The Arktora would likely have destroyed that whole civilization looking for you."

"That is why I chose to fight it."

"There are not many Daoran's left with your combat prowess. Your strength and discipline are exceptional."

"I have been fighting my whole life. After the Ataria City Ship was destroyed and my family went on the run… there was no choice." Kershala looked at the others scattered around the room before meeting Atondra's stare again. "Will you take my friend and I back to the Typhonus? My goal is to defeat Baraketh the Hunter and dislodge the Shironians from our home. I cannot do it alone."

"We will take you back to the Typhonus, we will see what the leaders have to say of your plan…" Atondra looked at the four others who were taking scans of the bridge with their equipment. "Return to the Sironia and tell the others to prepare to bring them aboard." The others did what they were told each activating something on their suits to teleport them aboard. "Let's go get your friend so we may return to the ship. I will have members of my security team take control of this ship to get it back to the city ship." Kershala nodded and they headed to the lift.


	17. Chapter 17

Kale had sat on the bed to go to sleep but couldn't calm down enough to do it. His adrenaline was still pumping from the fight he got into and his cheek was still aching from where he had been struck. He stood up and looked out the window, it was strange to see nothing but distant stars, he wondered how far from Earth they had really gotten. When the others left, they had left the rifle rested against the wall by the door. Kale walked to it and picked it up looking it over. He had hoped it didn't take any damage when it hit the floor. He checked the power and was able to get it turn on and power up. He aimed down the sight and everything seemed to be in order when Kershala and Atondra walked through the door followed by the AI core.

"Everything okay?" he asked lowering the weapon.

"Yes Kale, Atondra is going to take us to her ship. Some of her officers are going to come and pilot this ship to the Typhonus."

"That's good, I'm glad we found more of your people."

"So am I." Kershala looked at Atondra and spoke something in Daoran. She tapped part of her armor like he had seen the younger Daoran do triggering the teleporter.

"Damn it, that means we have to teleport doesn't it?" asked Kale thinking about how he had felt after the last time.

"Daoran teleporters are a little less pervasive than the one this ship uses." Kershala smiled as he spoke. He leaned in and kissed Kale on the cheek.

"They aren't gonna have any problem with me, are they?" he asked. "I did fight one of them."

"I will make sure they do not have a problem." Kershala turned to Anubis and pulled Kale in closer to him. "Tell them we are ready." Anubis stayed quiet but Kale started to feel the buzzing on his body again. He turned to look at Kershala who smiled back at him as they were pulled from the ship.

Kale felt his feet hit back on solid ground as he rematerialized. He hadn't had quite the same reaction as before, this time he didn't feel the need to throw up only feeling slightly dizzy. Kershala had been teleported a few feet from him on another pad and no sooner had he opened his eyes but two Daoran's had rushed him forcing him to bend forward.

"Kershala what's going on?" he panicked. He felt them press something to base of his skull and suddenly there was an immense pain. He cried out in pain and Kershala was at his side as he fell to the ground.

"He will be okay the pain will subside in a few minutes." A muffled voice spoke from somewhere in front of him. He felt Kershala's hand on his back and looked back at him through tears in his eyes. He had never felt a pain so intense before, it was like someone running a knife down his spine. He could feel something tightening at the pressure point.

"Oh my god that's painful, what they hell did they do to me?" Kale felt a hand on his face someone forced him to look at them. They shone a bright light in his face.

"Follow the light," a female voice spoke. Kale did what he was told as the person swayed light back and forth a few times. Kale got a glimpse of a young women behind the light. The pain stopped as she was swaying the light when he realized he could understand her. "He'll be fine. It's not even hurting anymore is it?" She smiled and stood up. Kale rubbed the back of his neck.

"Why can I understand you?"

"I'll answer both of your questions," said the same women who shone the light in his face. The other person was running a device over Kale's body, it was the same individual that spoke to Kershala first on the ship. "We inserted a bio-connective translation matrix into your neck. We downloaded the language syntax from the AI for you and it already understands most languages that the Daoran people have encountered during our travels."

"Just call it a universal translator," said Kale recalling every science fiction he'd ever seen.

"How do you feel?" asked Kershala. As the two of them got to their feet.

"It seems as though it is working as expected but we should keep an eye on it for the next few days." Lenari took a step back and smiled at Kershala as he closed his scanning device.

"I'm okay, you were right, the teleporter was different I don't feel sick."

"Sick?" said the women.

"His people don't have teleporter technology, this was only his second time in one," explained Kershala.

"Yes. Human, I recognized the bio-scans. My grand matriarch was one of the researchers that took interest in them before the war started," she explained. "My name is Elara I am the ships primary medical officer. Atondra wants you both to report for a physical before we allow you to free roam the ship. Follow me." Kale looked at Kershala who began to follow her as she walked away. Kale followed, Anubis stayed quiet and hovered alongside Kershala as they walked. The Daoran ship was very different than the Arktora. The ship was well lit and colored in bright white color scheme, Kale could see computers and circuitry running along the walls as they walked. The corridors were not as tall only being a couple of feet above their heads. There were no others present as they moved down the corridor, Lenari followed behind them and one other. They had exchanged their body suits for very militaristic uniforms, Elara's was grey with a violet metal crest on the arm as was Lenari's, though the crest was an off purple less than violet. The man following them still wore a type of body suit with similar coloring to Kershala's nanite suit, though it gave no indication that it was nanite based. They turned into a lab, that was clearly a medical lab. There were a couple of cots with medical equipment set up above them and computer systems lined the walls. They seemed to be displaying scans of several life forms, but Kale recognized at least one of them was displaying a human skeletal structure. Elara looked at him and gestured him to one of the terminals along the wall. "Lenari tells me you took a good hit to the face in your scuffle, we can get a better idea of what's damaged with this terminal."

"Alright what do I need to do?" he asked as he stepped up to the terminal. A green pulse activated from the machine as he stepped into place.

"Just be still. It works quickly." Kale did as he was told and stood still in the machine, about ten seconds later and a holographic image generated above the terminal. Elara ran her hand through it, and it disappeared. Kale turned around and looked at her as she thrust her hand forward and suddenly the same image was enlarged and projected into the middle of the room. She stepped up to it. "No major damage. Lenari configure one of the bio regenerators based on your scans and pass it over his face, that should fix it." Elara took a step closer to the image and enlarged the scan of his head, she passed her hand through it removing the dermal layer and then the muscular and skeletal layers. "Your species has a beautiful brain, Kale."

"Um, thank you I guess." Kale looked over at her as she examined the holographic image. Lenari stepped over to him and held up a small tool to his face.

"I guess it's only fitting I should be fixing your wound given I caused it," he said, Kale could hear remorse in his voice.

"It's not like I didn't try to hit you, all's forgiven." Kale smiled at him, by looking he guessed Lenari couldn't be much more than twenty years old. His bright young features were a great deal gentler than Kershala's likely due to a less stressful upbringing. Lenari's face lit up with a smile and Kale could tell the young man was holding back an urge to hug him. "Go ahead, I know what Daoran's are like." Kale laughed as the young man put his arms around him, Kale gave him a hardy hug back and a pat on the back. Kershala looked over at them and smiled. "Hey, I've learned a few things from you." Lenari pulled from him and passed the device over his wound and Kale could feel it being manipulated.

"That is true," said Kershala.

"Kale, are there any members of your species that can manipulate dark energy?" Elara interrupted.

"Um, what's dark energy?" he asked confused.

"Certain centers of your brain suggest you should be able to do so. Let me rephrase, can any of your species move things with their mind?" she asked.

"Oh, um, nothing that's ever been proven with absolute certainty. Your technology can pick that up?"

"It is a very detailed scan." Elara passed a hand through the image again and it vanished. "I would like to do more scans on you later if time allows for it."

"Maybe." Lenari passed the device over his wound one final time and the wound was healed. Kale no longer felt the discomfort.

"The scan shows nothing we should be worried about. As a precaution though, I would like for you to receive a couple of vaccinations. The Typhonus has been a closed environment for a very long time and we can't have any unfamiliar microbes being introduced to the biosphere."

"Have you taken enough scans of his physiology to know how his immune system will respond?" asked Kershala concerned. "From what I have seen and the scans I have taken, humans are very different internally than Daorans."

"I can see that as well. I will formulate them on the trip back myself and administer them. I will get physiology data from the biological integration system."

"Whatever you need to do as long as it doesn't break anything," said Kale, "Or kill me."

"Alright Kershala, you are next. Your bio scans are very exciting for me. Am I correct in assuming you carry with you the nanites that Yailar's family created?" Elara beckoned Kershala to one of the other terminals.

"Yes, I have an entire armory worth of nanites, but they have been in a weakened state since my fight with the Arktora." At the mere mention of the word Kale could see the expression on Elara's face change. "They are barely able to repair my wounds." Kershala stepped up to the terminal and turned around seemingly knowing what to do.

"Most of the nanites are barely functional from constant over use," said Anubis. The AI core hovered over to the machine Kershala was linked to and scanned the terminal.

"I have extensive experience with our nanotechnology." Elara walked over to a table with an array of tools on it and snapped a device on to her wrist. "We will repair your wounds and your nanites." She stood in front of Kershala and put the device up next to his head. "This will be slightly uncomfortable please ignore the sensation to recall the nanites with your implant." Kershala nodded and closed his eyes. The device on Elara's wrist began to glow and the nanites began funnelling from all over Kershala's body. His breathing became erratic as he seemingly let go of control of the nanites. Kale walked over to him and took his hand, he opened his eyes and looked at him. His breathing calming slightly. The nanites were fully extracted from Kershala's body and were levitating around the device on Elara's wrist almost swarming like tiny bees. "Oh, you poor little fighters, you've certainly been through a lot." Elara walked over to a glass chamber on the wall and pushed her hand in through a hole. It reminded Kale of a radiation chamber but without the guard liner. "You should find what you need in here." Elara locked the entry port around her arm and the nanites seem to be drawn to the glass. "This chamber draws energy directly from the engine core. It will recharge them in no time at all. It's been a long time since I've seen nanites as fine as these. The ones we use are several generations behind yours." Lenari walked over to Kershala and activated the scanner in the terminal.

"Don't mind her," he whispered, "She's a little obsessed with nanites. Especially the combat variety." Kale smiled as he watched Lenari take the scan of Kershala's body and bring it to the center like Elara had done with his. "What did that thing do to you? You have so many wounds across the whole left side of your body." The image outlined all the spots that the shrapnel had hit Kershala.

"It was an explosion. It happened just before we left earth," said Kale.

"It looks so painful."

"I will be grateful when they are fixed," Kershala breathed. Lenari took a tool from beside the terminal and activated it. The scan they had taken was pulled into the tool and Lenari attached it to an arm hanging from the ceiling over the terminal. He pushed it into position and tapped in a sequence.

"Hold very still, this will be quick and very painless." The device activated and a small beam began to fire at the places Kershala had been wounded Kale could see the wounds that they had painstakingly pulled shrapnel from, closing as it connected.

"Don't you guys use medical nanites for all this?" asked Kale.

"Most of the nanites we had access to aren't self replicating like the ones Kershala's suit uses," explained Elara as she walked away from the chamber. "They proved far too costly to maintain without a reliable source of raw materials. This is why these particular nanites are so special." Most of the equipment you see here is self powered and needs very little maintenance to keep it operating. It is old by Daoran standards, but it is more reliable than some of our nano technology." The beam stopped firing and the arm repositioned itself back above the terminal signalling that Kershala's wounds were healed. He stepped out of the terminal, the scar on his face was still present but the rest of the wounds had disappeared along with any trace of them.

"Feel better?" asked Kale.

"I can no longer feel the discomfort of the shrapnel," said Kershala, "but there is a part of me that feels disconnected, with the nanites being absent." Kershala walked over to the containment chamber and put his hand to the glass. The nanites swarmed to where his hand was touching. "I have not seen one of these chambers for a very long time. I can already feel that they have regained sixty percent of their functionality."

"We do not get to use it very often these days." Elara walked up beside him and rested an arm on his shoulder. "They should be ready very shortly." Anubis moved to be floating in front of Elara.

"Excuse me Elara, but I have not been able to determine if there is a qualified individual aboard this vessel to repair my secondary processors. Do you have anyone aboard capable of performing this task?"

"I'm afraid there would be no one here who would be familiar with your schematics enough to perform repairs. We likely have the tools for it here in the medical lab. The boarding report said Kershala was repairing you when we went aboard the Arktora's vessel." Elara walked to one of the cots and pushed a button causing an entire holographic display to light up. "This surgical bed will likely have everything you need. Instead of straining your implant you can take an imaging scan of the core and use that to operate as needed."

"Thank you, Elara," said Anubis, "Kershala I suggest we begin after you've rested. I am detecting that your body is starting to show signs of exhaustion."

"The physical came back fine other than the wounds," said Lenari.

"Your equipment does not have the same connection as I share with Kershala."

"I've been exhausted for a few hours now, not gonna lie," said Kale making a mental note of the fact that he hadn't gotten any sleep yet.

"I agree we will begin tomorrow," said Kershala walking over to surgical bed and examining the interface. Kale turned at the sound of the door to the lab and Atondra stepped in.

"I assume that everything has gone the way we expected," she said.

"Yes Atondra, the only concern is that the human must be vaccinated before boarding the Typhonus, he carries some foreign microbial bodies that could potentially cause concern," explained Elara.

"Kale, it is nice to be able to talk with you. I hope you didn't find the translator to invasive. I've heard they can be painful." Atondra walked over to Kale with a welcoming smile on her face.

"Once the pain calmed down it was okay. A little warning would have been nice, but it was necessary. We're going to need to be able to communicate if I'm going to be around here for awhile." Kale rubbed the back of his neck recalling the pain he had felt. Now there was no trace that they had even injected anything, he expected to find a welt or something at the injection site. "I'm glad to meet you."

"And I, you. I have seen several of Kershala's memories, you are prevalent in many of them. Had it not been for you, he may not have come out of his grief."

"I did what I could," said Kale, "Though I didn't really understand his grief until he joined with me the first time. I'd never felt anything like it." Kershala walked over to them with a somber look on his face.

"Joined? You mean Jadak'tora," she asked.

"Yes, I did not know how to show Kale my true experience… for him to understand the weight of the emotions I was feeling at my family's loss," explained Kershala. "There was no other way for me to convey to him the scale of Daoran emotion."

"It is not common for us to perform Jadak'tora with other species," Atondra reached out and touched each of their arms. "Not many others are able to receive it as we can."

"That's that beautiful human brain at work again!" Elara called from the other side of the lab.

"It wasn't easy," laughed Kale, "But we've joined several times since then, each time it gets easier." Atondra raised her eyebrows surprised at the statement.

"That is how I taught Kale to fight in our combat styles." The AI hovered over to them and placed itself in the middle of their conversation.

"Atondra, my apologies but Kershala must rest now that he has the chance, it has been a particularly strenuous day," it said.

"Of course, my apologies for keeping you, Kershala. We will arrive at the Typhonus in approximately twelve hours, I look forward to speaking with you after you've rested," said Atondra briefly pulling Kershala into a hug. Elara walked up to Kale and pushed something to his arm, quickly pulling a blood sample.

"For the vaccines," she smiled and walked back to one of the terminals.

"Elara do you require Lenari's assistance?" asked Atondra. This caused Lenari to stop what he had been working on and put the tool on a nearby counter.

"Not until I begin formulating a vaccine," she answered.

"Ah wonderful, Lenari I would like you to show Kershala where he and Kale will be staying. Take them to the secondary forward quarters," Atondra ordered. Lenari walked up to them and smiled before gesturing toward the door.

"My pleasure, if you could come this way Kershala, Kale?" They walked through the automated door to the lab and were out into the corridors again. Lenari led them to a room at the front of the small scout ship. They walked in through another set of automated doors. The room was beautiful directly ahead there was a massive viewing window that ran the length of the room, they could see that they were travelling at FTL speeds already on their way back to the city ship. On the right side of the room there was a large bed and on the left a terminal in the wall and a sitting area as well as a cleaning station. "It's pretty crazy for Atondra to put you in this room, it's usually reserved for the elders when they travel with us."

"Thank you for showing us the way," said Kershala.

"You are very welcome, Kershala. I am greatly looking forward to getting to know both of you and calling you friends," he explained. Kale walked to the center of the room and look around, hardly able to believe how lucky they had been to be found so quickly. "I will leave you to yourselves. If you need anything, the AI can send for me." Lenari smiled before making his way back out into the corridor. Kershala followed him in as the AI core took up a spot on the table, the automated door closed behind them, finally giving them some privacy.

"Looks like you've got a fan," Kale smiled at Kershala.

"He is very inexperienced I sense."

"He's young too. Cute little brother type." Kale walked over and sat down on the bed laying back on it. Kershala walked over and sat down beside him following his lead in laying back. Kale rolled over on his side. "I could get used to this." Kale reached out and touched Kershala's face their gazes met and they moved into a kiss. The warmth of Kershala's lips pressed against his own made Kale feel a good deal better, he slowly pulled back. "I was scared that we'd have to hide this from all of them," he whispered.

"Interspecies relations do not happen often, but most Daoran's have no issue with it. Some traditionalists may give pause." Kershala moved into another kiss and brought his hand up to Kale's face, the kiss got a good deal more passionate, Kershala's emotional intensity impacting their situation. "I would like to feel you again soon…" Kershala suddenly became bashful and looked away.

"I love you…" Kale slowly repositioned himself to be laying back on the pillows of the bed Kershala following his lead. "Little spoon." Kershala smiled at him before turning around and Kale wrapped his arm around him.

"I love you too." Kershala took Kale's hand and they laid together briefly before drifting off to sleep.


	18. Chapter 18

Kershala awoke and quickly sat up briefly forgetting where he was. Approximately six hours had passed since he had laid down. He had slept well for the first time since he and Kale had gone on the run, this being the first time he had been able to sleep without having to be ready to wake up and defend himself from a potential attack. He looked back at Kale who was still sleeping on the bed but had turned to face the other side of the bed at some point during their slumber. They each still had on the body suits they had found on the Arktora's vessel, they made for good undergarments and were decently protective. Kershala saw no reason to take them off now, considering they didn't have anything else to wear currently. Kershala ran his hand through Kale's soft hair briefly before turning away and landing his feet to the ground.

"How do you feel?" asked the AI.

"I feel … comfortable," said Kershala standing and walking to the large window. He rested his forearm on the window and leaned looking at the view outside. They were traveling at FTL so there wasn't much to see aside from the light that broke around the ship's bubble. "Can you tell me what's going on throughout the ship?"

"The crew seems to be operating as normal, we were attacked early morning, so it seems that the crew is still active," explained the AI.

"Do you have access to the onboard computer?" Kershala spoke low as he glanced at Kale, who had shifted but was still asleep.

"Yes, it would seem they have made no attempt to block me from accessing their databases."

"What can you tell me about this ship?" Kershala walked over to the terminal on the wall and activated it with his implant.

"The Sironia appears to be a Neori class scout ship, but there have been several weapons and structural modifications made to the ship. Externally it is not much different, but it is carrying a much heavier weapons load than it was originally designed with." Kershala brought up a schematic of the ship, the Neori class ship was designed as a heavily science-based vessel. It was clear that because of the Shironians they had modified the ship for combat. "Currently the ship operates on a crew of ten. There are currently eight on board and two piloting the Arktora's ship." The terminal displayed the Arktora's ship as it appeared behind them traveling at FTL speed.

"Where is Atondra?"

"She is situated in the command center of the vessel. It is located on the deck above us." Kershala turned to leave walking toward the door to the room. The AI core moved to stop him. "Kershala we must finish repairs on my secondary systems. If something should happen where I am required to defend you in my current state, I will not be able to."

"Atondra wishes to speak to me does she not?"

"Kershala you forget that these people are here to serve you, not the other way around." Kershala didn't like the idea of holding power over people by throwing his name around but the AI was right. With the future being uncertain he couldn't take any chances with their safety.

"We will go speak to Atondra then go to the lab." Kershala exited the room with the AI in tow. The corridors were mostly empty aside from a patrolling security officer whom acknowledged Kershala with a glance and a nod. He came to an open lift that would take him to the floor above and he stepped onto it. He used his implant to activate the lift and it crawled up a floor and stopped. He looked around as he stepped off the lift, he could see a large double door that would lead him to the command center at the end of the corridor. There were also several doors that led off the corridor along the way. Kershala figured they were likely just personal quarters, as he walked by the doors did not respond like the public access areas had so far. He came to the door to the command center and the doors did not open. Kershala noticed a manual interface and reached out touching a combination of buttons on the face of it. Nothing happened, he was confused, it was not custom to restrict access to the command center of a ship because any sensitive information would not be accessible without prior authorization. "That is odd." Kershala scanned the door with his implant and accessed the mechanism to open it effectively forcing it open. As it opened two security guards just inside the door turned their weapons on him.

"Stop!" Atondra's voice was loud and strong from somewhere forward of his position. The two guards lowered their weapon and stepped back quickly. "I am sorry Kershala, I meant to meet you before you came here on your own accord." Kershala retracted his helmet and gave the guards an apologetic look.

"Why do you lock your command center? I am not familiar with this protocol." He took a step inside and the door closed behind him.

"Several protocols have been modified since the war began. There is an unfamiliar alien on the ship we must lock down more sensitive areas." Atondra stepped forward she had been at her command post in the center of the room. Kershala was confused at first when he realized what she was talking about.

"You mean Kale, don't you?"

"Yes, we mean the human," a large man stepped forward from what Kershala knew to be the weapons station. He was significantly older than anyone else he had seen on the ship. The violet in his eyes had faded considerably, his long hair had lost most of its color as well and the braids it was tied back in hung down to the center of his back. His face was aged slightly more than Kershala remembered Yailar's had been.

"Kershala, this is the Sironia's primary warrior, Rotabu, he is charged with the security of our vessel while we are on our scouting mission," Atondra gestured toward him with her hand as she introduced him.

"While we are aware that humans exist and are not as technologically capable as our own species. We do not know what knowledge it has picked from your brain over the last few cycles. Or your AI's," Rotabu's voice was deep and almost grizzled. "The elders on the Typhonus have implemented extra precautions for such situations." Kershala retracted the rest of the nanites and took a step forward.

"I can promise you; Kale is no threat." Kershala took a silent breath knowing what the next question would be and wondered if he should reveal that he and Kale were in a relationship. He knew that Atondra knew, having communicated with the AI and seen some of his more intimate memories, but the rest of the crew didn't.

"How can you know this? The humans are still part of a primitive civilization. We cannot know how they will act when in such a situation," said Rotabu.

"I do not presume to know all humans, from my experience they are very diverse individuals, though I have not met many. But I know Kale's heart, he is a good man, with pure intentions," Kershala couldn't help but smile as he spoke, "From the first day I crashed landed on his planet, he has always been more concerned with my well being, than his own. Through the Jadak'tora, I showed him my heart at it's lowest and he reached out and protected it. We are…" Kershala paused and looked down. The conversation had drawn the attention of the pilot and another officer who had stepped away from their station. "Bonded." Kershala looked around the room that pretty much stayed silent.

"If you are who you say you are, Yailar would not approve of this, a lifeform as low as a human is not worthy of you," scoffed Rotabu. Atondra glanced at Rotabu and then looked back to Kershala giving him a comforting smile, telling him she did not share his feelings.

"Oh calm down old man, the boy's in love, what does it matter the recipient as long as he treats him with respect." The man who had walked away from his station spoke in a different dialect than the others, telling Kershala he was likely from the southern continent of the home world. He walked up to Kershala and grabbed his hand pulling him into a hug. "I am Omall, I am glad to meet you Kershala." He pulled from the hug and pressed his forehead to Kershala's with a wide smile on his face. "Kale is lucky man." Kershala smiled at the compliment and Omall backed off.

"I am glad to meet you too, Omall." Rotabu pushed by them and exited the command deck.

"Atondra, I will see you at the next briefing," he spoke quickly and abruptly before the door closed.

"I am sorry, I did not mean to offend him," said Kershala feeling embarrassed at the scene he caused.

"Do not worry about it," said Atondra resting a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"We are used to it," Omall laughed, "If we weren't able to function every time he got upset, we'd never get anything done."

"Omall!" Atondra scoffed but laughed at the same time. "Alright everyone get back to your stations."

"Welcome aboard." Omall gripped Kershala's shoulder and smiled at him one last time before walking back over to his station.

"My engineer can sometimes be somewhat overbearing." Atondra rested a hand on Kershala's shoulder. "I would like to talk to you in more detail about some of your experiences on earth." Atondra looked to the AI core that had been floating quiet the whole time. "I would also like to know what you found on the Arktora's computer. Come with me to my private lab."

"Yes of course." Kershala nodded and Atondra lead them to a room just off the bridge. The room was open but not significantly large. A round holographic emitter sat in the center of the room with a map of sector space projected over it. There were no windows that led to the outside only monitors along one side of the wall. Kershala recognized the room as a mission center, typically found on a warship, another of the modifications they had made note of.

"Atondra, I detect that the Sironia is a Neori class scout ship, yet it has been heavily modified," said the AI.

"You are correct, the current leaders on the Typhonus have opted for a more warlike presence. We used what was left of several of our warships to modify the scout ships to a more combat focused purpose," explained Atondra as she stood in front of the holographic emitter.

"Would the warships not have been more effective in this role?" asked Kershala.

"Yes, for defensive capabilities the warships were much more efficient. But for quick strikes the scout ships speed and ability to internalize all energy emissions makes them the better candidate." Atondra smiled and waved her hand through the emitter. The display changed from the map to an image of Earth. "I hope you do not mind I fed some of the information you gave me into the ships computer for quick reference."

"Of course." Kershala joined her at the emitter he could feel it sync with his implant at close range. "How much of my personal memories have you analyzed?"

"Nothing too invasive, I have seen your memory of the fight with the Arktora, several of your human interaction outside of Kale, and I have seen what happened to your family. I was once friends with your Karu… a very long time ago." Kershala felt surprised, Atondra did not appear to be as old as his matriarch had been. "She was a remarkable being, courageous, intelligent, beautiful." Kershala could hear a great fondness in Atondra's voice as she spoke of her.

"She was kind and loving, and would do anything for her children," Kershala spoke quietly as he steeled himself against his emotions.

"I wept as I first learned her fate… then I felt joy," Atondra's eyes filled with tears then seemed to dry again, "joy that she did not suffer and have to watch her loved ones die. As so many of us have." Atondra paused as she spoke.

"I will have vengeance…" Kershala growled quietly. The image on the emitter changed to that of Kershala being held in the air by the Arktora.

"I believe you, considering that you battled with this beast of a creature and are still alive to tell your story is nothing short of remarkable," Atondra stood beside him. "I have gone over the scans your implant took while you fought, it seems their armor is more advanced than ever, I truly hope that we never have to come face to face with another of them."

"We have reason to believe there are at least nine more of them present in the Shironian Empire," said the AI, "We do however have reason to believe that this one was the most dangerous."

"Have you never seen any of them prior to this one?" asked Kershala.

"We have been fortunate not to encounter any of them. I have heard through communication chains that other city ships have not been so fortunate."

"I have memories found on that ship that show such encounters. Anubis has stored them in it's core."

"Anubis?" Atondra was confused at the name. Daoran's didn't typically name their AI.

"It is what Kale has chosen to call me."

"That is… odd. Where did you acquire these memories? Were there living Daoran's on that ship when you first boarded it?"

"No, the active implants were found in the Arktora's trophy room." Kershala looked down at the floor. "Senseless torture. The trophy room has been destroyed. I decided that such an atrocity should not be aloud to exist."

"I would trust your judgement."

"Atondra, if you've nothing else to ask Kershala I must insist that repairs be underway for my secondary systems," said the AI. Atondra seemed thrown off by the comment.

"I am sorry," said Kershala, "I told you we would get to it once the meeting was done." He spoke to the AI frustrated that it would take this tone with Atondra.

"I apologize for wasting your time," she smiled at Kershala then a serious look came to her face. "But after analyzing your fight with the Arktora, I discovered something it said while you fought it that I was sure you would find interesting." Atondra paused seemingly waiting for Kershala to fill in the blanks but he could think of nothing. "It seemed to think a member of your family was alive."

"Impossible, why would he keep any of them alive?" scoffed Kershala, "I remember it saying that before it attacked me, I believe it was trying to shake my resolve." Kershala couldn't bare the thought of any of them being alive, he could feel anger burning in his blood at the thought of them being captured and what Baraketh would do to any of them.

"You have the answer to the question. Check the archive you found," said Atondra. Kershala hesitated, if any of them were alive it would mean that every moment, he had been apart from them they endured suffering. Atondra turned to the AI. "If he won't check then surely you must. You are sworn to serve all Yailar's family are you not? If another of them is alive you must formulate a plan to save them." Kershala looked at the AI, Atondra was right but he also knew that unless he ordered it to find the information it wouldn't. When the AI was silent, she looked back to him. "Kershala I am just trying to make sure that if your family is out there then we find them."

"It is painful to consider," Kershala crossed his arms and turned to face the wall of monitors. There was a long pause while he considered. "Anubis, you will archive the information, search for anything pertaining to my family. After I repair your secondary systems you will present me with the information."

"Yes Kershala."

"Atondra if you will excuse us, I must continue the repairs." Kershala looked over his shoulder at Atondra before exiting the room. "We will go to the lab." The door closed behind them and they were standing on the bridge of the ship. Kershala let out a sigh as they began walking back the way they came making their way quickly to the lab.

"Atondra is correct, in that if another of our family is still alive, then I must attempt to save them, Kershala," said the AI as they came to the door to the lab.

"If a member of my family is still alive, then I will stop at nothing to save them myself." The lab door opened with Lenari standing in the doorway and he greeted them with a smile.

"Hello Kershala," he sounded surprised to see them. "How did you sleep?" He took a step to the side and welcomed them into the lab. Kershala let his conversation with Atondra fall from his thoughts, he knew that he would need to concentrate on his current objective as it was a complicated procedure.

"I slept well. It, admittedly, has been a long while since I have been so comfortable." The door to the lab closed behind him and Kershala looked around the lab. The equipment was showing information on unfamiliar disease types that must have been present in Kale's blood. Elara was likely cataloguing the information to develop new vaccines for Daoran's that ran exploratory missions.

"Elara has completed the vaccine. It's just being synthesized right now. She has gone to rest for the time being." Lenari walked over to Kershala. "Is there something you need help with?"

"Elara told us to use the lab equipment to repair my secondary processors, will you assist us in setting up the surgical equipment?" The AI floated to surgical bed that Elara had told them to use before they went to rest.

"Yes of course." Lenari approached the workstation. "You can activate it using this interface right here." Lenari pointed to a series of lenses on the terminal. Kershala was well familiar with Daoran technology and most of the ship was familiar from his memory of designs, but he hadn't actually used a lot of it personally. "Just hold your hands over these and it will recognize you." Lenari looked to the AI and gestured to a spot on the surgical bed. "You will have to be positioned here for the initial scan. Once the AI is in place just use your implant to scan and the emitter will show you what the implant scans." Kershala walked over and stood beside him running his hand through the interface. As he did it lit up and deactivated as his hand passed through the recognized area. Lenari looked back at him and smiled. "It has probably been a long time since you've been able to use any of our technology."

"Not as long as one might think," said Kershala, "But yes, most of this stuff I have not seen since I was a child." The AI core sat into place and Kershala placed his hands firmly above the holographic emitters, he could feel it interacting with the implant, so he presumed to scan the AI core. The scan was projected in real time and it wasn't long before the entire sector Kershala would be working on would be displayed. He stepped over to the AI and the holographic feed followed his line of sight. "Lenari I will need the most precise plasma scalpel you have available." Kershala had a mental checklist of the tools he would need to create an ideal situation and he knew they'd likely all be available here.

"A plasma scalpel? We don't use those very often." Lenari walked away from the workstation and over to a storage locker. "More of an engineering tool than a medical tool." Lenari took something from the storage and walked back to Kershala. "Wouldn't a light-based tool be more precise?"

"The radiation emitted would cause damage to my surrounding circuitry." Lenari passed the tool to Kershala and he held it in his thumb and index finger. As he turned it on and off a small light appeared at the end of it. The beam so small and delicate that he could perform surgery on a cellular wall if need be.

"This is better than I expected," said Kershala.

"Is there anything else that you will need?" asked Lenari gazing at Kershala intently.

"I'll need an adjustable magnetic grappler to remove the damaged areas and debris. A sonic resonator will help to move parts into place as I repair them and an Ionic dispersion tool to use in clean up," Kershala rattled off the list and Lenari went to looking throughout the lab for each item. It wasn't long before all the tools sat on the workstation. "Release the lock," said Kershala. With that said the AI core opened several maintenance compartments and Kershala took his place over it. The magnified image changed to that of the first compartment he would be working in and using the plasma scalpel he began cutting away the dead sectors.


	19. Chapter 19

Kale opened his eyes slowly and lay still for a moment taking in the calming atmosphere of the ship. He had slept well, the quiet hum and slight vibration of the ship acting as a lullaby and letting him sleep much more soundly than he had in a very long time. He looked back and forth realizing that Kershala was already up and about and that he was alone in the room. He sat up slowly and took a breath before standing and walking to the window. The light that seemed to envelope them as they travelled was hard to look at for very long but was unlike anything he had seen before, it seemed different than when they were travelling on the other ship. "Wow." Kale shook his head and turned to the doorway planning on heading to the lab. His stomach growled as he took a couple of steps and realized he hadn't eaten since the food they found in the other ship's storage. As he approached the door it opened automatically, and he stepped out into the hallway. There was a guard posted across the hallway at one of the other doors, he made notice of Kale who stopped and looked around.

"Do you know if Kershala went back to the medical lab?" Kale asked.

"Yes, I believe he is there now, repairing the AI," the guard answered. Kale couldn't help but notice that the guard's stance seemed defensive in nature, he approached him and greeted him with a smile.

"What's your name?" he asked. The guard seemed nervous at the question. "I know I'm different than you, but you don't have to be nervous." Kale watched as the man's posture and expression seemed to soften.

"Ashal, is my name." Ashal looked to the ground and then back to Kale looking him in the eye. "I am sorry, my commander has ordered me to not speak with you. Please leave me be. Kershala is in the lab."

"Oh… kay…" Kale wondered why they would be told not to speak with him but decided not to push the subject, he didn't want to get anyone in trouble. Ashal kept his gaze as he turned away from him to take the short trek to the lab. It wasn't long and Kale stepped into the medical lab to see Kershala bent over the AI core. He could tell he was hyper-focusing on what he was doing and didn't want to distract him. Lenari was at one of the other workstations looking at some read outs on one of the holographic monitors. He walked over to where Lenari was standing and was greeted with a smile.

"Good morning, you look well rested," he said keeping his voice low.

"Thank you, how long has he been working?" asked Kale mimicking his volume. Lenari looked from Kershala to Kale.

"Just over an hour. The AI has been quite scolding of his work though. I do not think they are getting along very well at present." Kale smiled and watched as Kershala sat one tool down and reached for another tool.

"Kershala, you have removed too much of the affected processor, it was not necessary to…"

"It was dead was it not?" Kershala interrupted Anubis.

"Yes, once the replenishment process begins it would have come back into functionality with the newly formed unit," explained Anubis. Kershala started poking away at the work area with the newer tool. Kale watched the holographic image and could see a large piece of the area detach and lodge itself to the tool in Kershala's hand.

"But now the processor will form an entirely new unit and it will work more cohesively with the newly formed system much faster. It is better in the long run." Kale could hear the frustration in Kershala's voice as he spoke.

"You are only making more work for yourself; these systems will function for a millennia before the effects of your actions will be felt."

"It is done." Kershala was stern and clearly done with the matter looking at the AI core as he spoke. "I would appreciate if you kept your corrections to yourself unless I am doing something that will cause more damage."

"Yes Kershala." Anubis spoke reluctantly and Kale could tell that it was falling in line. Kershala pulled the tool back and something barely visible dropped from it and onto the table. He looked up from what he was doing, looking back at Kale with a welcoming smile.

"Why are you over there?" he asked. Kale smiled and walked over to him.

"I didn't want to disturb you; I know this must be really delicate work." As Kale got in arms reach Kershala took his hand and pulled his arm to be around his neck.

"I will work better with you here." Kale sat his chin on Kershala's shoulder to look at what he was doing and kissed him on the cheek.

"Well I guess it's good that I don't really have anywhere to be. Even if I wanted to, I guess." Kale's words were laced with a light sarcasm at the interaction that he had with the guard.

"What do you mean?" Kershala stopped what he was working on and selected another tool and looked at Kale.

"It's not really a big deal I guess, just that the guards have been given orders not to talk to me."

"Rotabu," Kershala sighed and then went back into his work. Kale didn't understand the word thinking he had heard wrong.

"What's that word mean?"

"Kershala is talking about our primary warrior, Rotabu. He is a strong traditionalist and will likely be mistrustful of you," explained Lenari, "Do not take it personally…"

"He and I had words earlier, regarding our bonding," Kershala shook his head and started back into his work.

"Is everything okay?" Kale was starting to be concerned that they stepped out of one prison and into another.

"It will not be a problem."

"Rotabu is an old warrior, the same thing that causes him to be an issue also causes him to be nothing more than a mild complainant," explained Lenari. Kale looked at back at him confused. "Tradition. Kershala is a descendant of the last king of our people, he will be respected." Devotion for the sake of devotion made Kale uneasy, that kind of loyalty was frail at best and it didn't take much to shake it. He felt Kershala take his hand as he continued to work and squeeze it, catching his concern through their bond.

"I know," he said simply. Kale watched as Kershala focused on his work on the AI, who remained silent. "You must be hungry?" Kershala spoke as he worked not breaking his focus. "Lenari would you mind taking Kale to get something to eat?" Lenari looked up from his work.

"The information I'm sorting won't be ready for an hour or so anyway. It is about time for the next shift to be sitting down to get something to eat in the galley." Lenari smiled and stepped over to them.

"Are you sure? You won't get in trouble, will you?" asked Kale.

"No. I know that the guards are not able to talk to you, but they report to Rotabu, I report to Elara. She would encourage our interaction."

"Make sure whatever you give him to eat is compatible with his physiology," said Kershala still not looking up from his work.

"I will program the replication system myself. Come Kale, we will go find something to eat."

"Okay, sounds good." Lenari smiled as he headed for the door, and Kale kissed Kershala on the cheek before leaving him to follow. They stepped out into the corridor and Lenari led the way.

"The galley is just this way." They crossed the small ship passing a pair of security officers on their way to the galley. Lenari nodded to them but no one spoke, Kale assumed they may have been communicating with their implants but had nothing other than a hunch to follow on it. They came to a large double door that opened at their approach. Kale wasn't sure what to expect when they entered the room. He could see Elara sitting at the other side of the room at a single table with two other chairs at it. Lenari was leading them toward her. There were two other Daoran's Kale hadn't met yet in the room they sat together just beyond the entrance. As they approached Kale could see that Elara interacting with a device as she ate from a cup that sat on the table. She noticed them as they approached and looked up from her device, greeting them with a smile.

"Lenari, how is the sequencing coming on that vaccine?" she asked.

"Well, I am just letting the computer finish compiling the data before I continue, it will be ready in less than an hour," Lenari answered. "Kershala is repairing the AI core and asked me if I wouldn't mind getting Kale something to eat." Lenari gestured to Kale before turning and walking to a blank alcove on the wall.

"Mind if I take a seat?" asked Kale.

"Of course. I was just looking at some information I took from your scans." Kale smiled as he took a seat.

"Find anything else interesting."

"Plenty." Kale watched as Lenari stepped up to the alcove, a holographic interface appeared as he came within arms reach of it. "Lenari, have it use the scans we took to create something compatible with him."

"Would your food really be so different? Kershala seemed to be able to eat anything we came across on earth with no issue," said Kale.

"Well, not necessarily but the amino acid construction might be different enough that you wouldn't get any nutrition from it." Lenari tapped a few spots on the interface and a strange green light began to emanate from the alcove. A couple of plates materialized seemingly from nothing and Lenari brought them over to the table.

"How does that work?" asked Kale trying not to sound in awe.

"The technology is based on the same premise as our teleporters. Molecular deconstruction and reconstruction. Far more complicated than it is interesting," explained Lenari as he pushed one of the plates in front of him. "Try some." Kale looked at the food on the plate in front of him. He could tell from looking it was a plant-based material. The color was almost the same as cooked greens not very attractive. He made his decision to try it picking up a small piece of it with his fingers. He realized that no one else in the galley was eating with any type of utensils. It felt almost like cooked spinach as he touched it, without hesitation, he put it in his mouth. The taste and consistency were familiar without being like anything he had really eaten before; it was well seasoned with a little bit of spice to it. He chewed carefully before swallowing it deciding that he did like it.

"Good thing it tastes better than it looks," he laughed.

"I am glad you like it," said Lenari taking some from his own plate.

"So, is this a regular thing on the city ships you guys live on?" asked Kale. "Kershala said that the Daoran people have been pretty destitute since …" Kale paused realizing the topic may not be appropriate. "Sorry." Lenari seemed to drift off as he ate but Elara's body language did not alter.

"They city ships are for the most part well equipped to serve and maintain their population. When things are good, they are great. But we do often go through periods of time where the entire populace is at risk of starvation. Military units such as ours are given priority because we defend the people. If we are not healthy and strong then we cannot fight."

"Kershala's upbringing seems very different from this."

"It was likely because Yailar was a strong traditionalist he focused on keeping several of the traditions of the older tribes alive even though now it is usually not necessary," Elara explained.

"I don't know if that's the case for Kershala. At least recently I don't think they had a choice," Kale paused, "They've been on the run for years."

"It has been several cycles since the Ataria city ship was destroyed. I barely remember, I was so young. But that is when Yailar took his family and ran. He knew Baraketh would continue to hunt him and that he was putting the rest of us in danger," Lenari spoke quietly between bites of his food.

"Yailar was great leader," said one of the two at the other table, "He knew he had to leave his people to keep them safe. Now that his child has returned to us, I just hope he has the same sense of leadership." Kale wasn't sure if he was hearing disdain or doubt in the man's voice. The Daoran inflections were hard for to fully grasp since their emotions ran so hot. He also couldn't help but notice that the story the Daorans told of his father was different than what Kershala had told him.

"I can say with certainty that he wants nothing but the best for his people," said Kale turning to look at the speaker.

"We will see."

"Sashir, didn't your duty shift start thirty minutes ago?" asked Elara.

"Um, yes Elara. I wanted to eat something before I took my post," the man quickly became bashful seemingly loosing his confidence.

"Then eat and be done. Rotabu would not be impressed that you are late for your duty shift again." Kale felt a sudden awkwardness come over him. He felt as though there was something significantly more political going on here than he was able to deal with. He stayed quiet taking another bite of the food in front of him. "Apologies Kale, some of the younger generation only know what they have been told."

"That seems to cross societal barriers." Kale took another bite of the food in front of him staying quiet as Sashir and his companion left the room. "On earth entire generations have been corrupted by the beliefs of their parents or those that came before them."

"I've been looking at the records we have on humans since I took your scans. Your society is quite interesting. It appears every part of that little blue rock has a different language attached to it. It is amusing that you fight over things such as skin color, even with your medical technology you can see you all are the same on the inside."

"Daorans all speak the same language? It seems like some of you have a very different dialect than Kershala."

"That is because of where we come from on the planet. The language spoke is primarily the same with minor differences. From our collected information your western continent and eastern continent couldn't be more different regarding spoken word," Elara shook her head.

"How is it possible for a society to evolve and all speak the same language? You couldn't have always been as advanced as you are now. My planet has so many different languages because before it was so connected like it is today with the internet and easy travel options most of our continents couldn't even talk to each other," Kale explained.

"It is true we were not always so advanced, like any society we have had our technological revolutions that changed the entire face of it," said Lenari. "But the planet we come vast as it is, was largely uninhabitable until those revolutions took place. For thousands of generations our people lived vastly on one continent. We have a definitive cradle of our civilization that we spread from. As our technology became better, we spread to those continents that were previously uninhabitable." Kale took a breath and looked down at his food taking another bite. Lenari did the same.

"There are theories that our planet existed as one large continent and then shifted over the course of millions of years. Dividing the land mass and the population into what it eventually became. So, in a way our planet separated us, and we took it from there. Then we started to change and adapt as that fractured society."

"You adapted to your planets changes. We evolved and then adapted our planet," said Lenari.

"That is a crude but effective explanation of those events Lenari," said Elara smiling over the pad she held in her hand. It wasn't long before Elara excused herself from the table and Lenari and Kale sat making small talk for almost an hour. Kale was alone with Lenari. They had finished eating and Lenari took their plates back to the alcove he got it from Kale watched as it dematerialized in a flicker of light.

"Shall we return to the lab? My vaccine should be done any minute now," said Lenari. Kale stood up he had eaten his full and wanted to see how Kershala and Anubis were making out with the repairs.

"Lead the way." Kale and Lenari stepped out of the galley and headed back to the lab. As they entered Kale could see that Kershala was still working hard at the AI core's repairs. The lab was empty but there were guards posted outside. Kale could see that Kershala was straining and didn't bother to say anything not wanting to distract him. Lenari stayed quiet and walked over to his workstation where the vaccine had been synthesizing. He tapped a few inputs into the console and the quiet sound of gas venting could be heard as the vaccine vial was ejected from the casing. Kale watched as Lenari looked it over, a small smile cracking his features telling him it was a success. "Will you administer it or will Elara?" he asked walking to the station.

"Elara will check the synthesis records and likely administer it before we are back to the city ship." Kale nodded acknowledging the statement before turning his attention back to Kershala. He wanted to ask how the repairs were going but wasn't sure if it was a good time to disturb him.

"I am just applying the last of the repairs now. This equipment has made it significantly easier to complete these repairs." Kershala spoke without diverting his attention from the task at hand. Kale walked over to him and placed a hand on his back feeling the muscle moving under his hand.

"How you feelin' Anubis?" asked Kale.

"I am almost back to full functionality," Anubis answered seeming from an intercom in the room. "I have regained my ability to fully interface with the Arktora's ship. The two crewmen aboard are now conduction scans and attempting to download any data from its computers."

"Good, maybe they can find something that will give them an edge against the Shironians in the future." Kershala sat back and put the tool he was using on the table.

"I have finished my part now you must focus on rebuilding the rest of the damaged sectors."

"It will not be much longer before I regain my full functionality." Kale felt Kershala lean back into him and take his hand. Pulling his arm around him and kissing his hand.

"You feel okay?" asked Kale.

"Yes, but the repair process was quite straining. I am glad it is done."

"Me too." Kale leaned down and kissed him on the cheek just as the door opened. Elara walked in and walked straight to Lenari's workstation.

"How did the vaccine take?" she asked.

"It seems to have gone well. From what I can tell it is ready to be administered, although you should check the synthesis records," explained Lenari. Kale watched as she took the vial from the workstation and looked it over, Kale figured she was probably using her implant to scan it. "Good work, Lenari. You're the first Daoran to synthesize a vaccination for a human." Lenari smiled at her praising him, it was becoming more apparent with time that he was her ward. She turned her attention to Kale and Kershala. She approached them with the vial in hand taking a tool off the table and loading it with the vaccine. "Are you ready for me to administer the vaccine?" she asked. Kershala stood up and extended his hand to Elara.

"I would like to scan it myself before you administer it," he said.

"Of course." Elara passed Kershala the vial without hesitation and he held it up looking it over.

"The AI's medical database lists several vaccination components that would be normally present in a vaccine for a Daoran that would likely be very dangerous to Kale."

"All of which I was made aware of when I took the scans of his physiology, Kershala."

"I have to be sure. Please do not take this as doubt Elara." Kershala smiled and passed the vial back to her. "It seems you were both very thorough. I was wrong to question you." Elara nodded and met his smile.

"So how does this get administered? It's not going to be like the translator is it?" asked Kale, remembering the pain of his last Daoran injection.

"Goodness no, you will not even feel it." Elara stepped within arms length of him and placed one hand on his neck. "Be still a moment." The place she touched on his neck went cold briefly then returned to normal temperature as she put the injection tool to the vein in his neck. Kale realized that the cold was likely some type of disinfection taking place. She pressed the trigger on the tool and there was a quick quiet hissing. She was correct in that he didn't feel anything. "There, see?" She smiled as she lowered the tool to her side and walked away.

"Thank you." Kale put his hand to the spot on his neck, there was no sign that he had been vaccinated.

"Kershala why don't we get you reacquainted with your fully charged much healthier nanites?" Elara sauntered over to the nanite chamber grabbing the wrist tool and put her hand to the glass, she snapped the tool around her wrist and entered a sequence on the console. The nanites swarmed around the tool, they seemed to shifting color from a silver to violet color.

"I have not seen them do that for a very long time," said Kershala as he stepped over to Elara. "Shut off your retractor tool and I will call them back to me." Elara seemed to remotely shut the tool off and Kale watched as Kershala put his hand into the swarm. Kale could see that he was calling them by the look Kershala had on his face. Everyone watched in slight awe as they nanites began to crawl along Kershala's arm forming the armor behind them. His fingers than hand forearm and bicep and before long Kershala was fully armored except for his bare face. The armor looked different, it was brighter and denser than it had been. Violet markings appeared to mimic the designs of Kershala's body markings. Kale couldn't help but thing of how well fitted the armor was to Kershala's body every curve and muscle was accentuated. Kershala glanced back at him and smirked seemingly catching his thoughts before the helmet closed over his face. Kershala seemed to be examining the suit. "They have never been so vibrant before." He spoke from behind the mask.

"They're incredible."

Kershala could feel his implant and the AI connecting to the nanites as they covered his body and fused together to form his body armor. He could almost hear Kale's heart flutter at the sight of his form underneath it. The full charge made the nanites much more efficient gripping his body tighter and forming a denser protective grid then before. They seemed to have upgraded themselves while they had been exposed to the energy from the ships power core.

"I am detecting an increase in density by thirty percent," said Anubis. "Exposure to the power core seems to have strengthened their bonds to each other. As well as they seem to be processing information much faster than before."

"I can feel them communicating with the implant, they are much more focused."

"Have they ever been recharged with one of the chambers before?" asked Elara using a device to take several scans of the suit.

"Not in recent memory," said Kershala, "Since we took to running, we have not had access to one."

"I know they are meant to perform upgrades, there may have been some information in the database that wasn't available at the time of their construction." Elara looked over the scanning device before setting it down at one of the nearby workstations. "They have definitely been enhanced."

"The Shironians won't know what hit them," said Kale walking up to Kershala and resting a hand on his shoulder. "The suit feels different then before." The helmet peeled back and collected into the implant. "It feels like your skin." Elara cracked a smile and walked back to her workstation. Kershala knew she was the only other person that would understand that the nanites detected his connection to Kale through the implant and his memories. They were relaying the tactile information to him as well. It was like Kale was touching his bare skin.

"That is the tactile interface responding to you," said Kershala making shy eye contact with Kale. Suddenly the lights flickered and the whole ship shook violently. Kershala reached out and grabbed Kale's hand instinctively keeping him from falling backwards. The ship dropped violently from FTL speeds.

"We are under attack, all crew to battle stations!" Rotabu's voice announced over the ship's intercom. The AI hovered over to the two of them and Kershala already knew what was happening as it relayed information to him from the ship's sensors. The Shironians had found them.

"We must go to the command center," it said. Kershala nodded as his helmet activated. Kershala looked at Kale knowing that he would be safer in the medical lab but knowing he wouldn't stay behind if he wanted him to.

"Let's go," said Kale turning to leave. They left the medical bay with the AI floating within arms reach of him. As they exited the lab two guards met them outside reporting to their combat stations, they stopped briefly to stare at him in his full armor before continuing. They made their way quickly to the bridge where another guard was posted outside, he nodded them in as they passed. Kershala was detecting fear in the crew he doubted many of the younger ones had been face to face with the Shironians before and that their reputation alone would be enough to shake the resolve of unvetted soldiers. They walked onto the bridge Atondra was at her post in the center of the room, Rotabu, Omall and Jelani were at their stations Atondra was mid orders.

"… damage report!" she called. "Activate our defenses."

"They knocked out the FTL drive, but it doesn't look heavily damaged, more like it's being disrupted by something," explained Omall. Kershala knew that Shironian ships often deployed dampening fields to keep ships from jumping back into FTL speeds. Most of their ships were slower than Daoran ships, but for what they lacked in speed they often compensated for in fire power. The ship shook again as they were hit with another volley.

"Have they made any moves toward the Arktora's vessel?" Kershala spoke to the AI over their private channel.

"No, I do not believe they can detect it currently."

"Bring us about Jelani, Rotabu hit them with everything we've got target their weapon systems. Omall see if you can find the source of that dampening field." In the main viewer port, they could see the ship coming about and the attacking ship was now in front of them. A Shironian dreadnaught, not unlike the vessel that had destroyed Kershala's parents ship. "Evasive pattern shahar!" The ship opened fire again on them before Rotabu fired back a full spread of cirex class torpedoes and let the Sironia's energy weapons fly. All seemed to land their targets."

"Direct hit Atondra. Our barriers are active and holding." The ship fired at them again this time landing several hits. "The barriers are weakened by sixty percent! We cannot take another hit like that."

"Knock those weapons out fire at your own discretion!" Kershala wasn't sure that Atondra's method was going to work. He could see their weapons fire several more times landing different targets on the attacking ship.

"Anubis can you get any information on this vessel that is helpful?" he asked.

"It is the same class of vessel that destroyed the family ship. It does not use kinetic energy barriers instead is covered in a thick ablative armor."

"Can our weapons effectively penetrate that armor?" Atondra looked back at them from her position. The AI stayed quiet seemingly calculating.

"Not effectively."

"Jelani, focus on maneuvers get us far enough away that you have time to react to their attacks."

"Yes Atondra." The pilot tapped frantically at the controls in front of her.

"We can use the teleporter to send a boarding part that we may shut off the dampening field affecting the engines," said Rotabu. "They have no energy barriers therefore we should be able to teleport through their armor."

"That would be effective," the AI concluded.

"Rotabu, Omall, take Sashir and Lenari and form a boarding party," ordered Atondra. Kershala stepped forward as the other two men locked down their station getting ready to leave.

"No, there is too much risk involved," said Kershala. Rotabu and Omall both stopped in their tracks and Atondra turned her attention to him. He could tell that she was not accustomed to having her orders questioned. "My apologies Atondra, but I have fought these people as you and Rotabu have, but your crew has not. Let me do it."

"Kershala are you crazy," said Kale who had been silently taking in what was happening.

"Kershala you must not risk yourself if it is not necessary," said the AI. Kershala looked at the AI then back to Atondra who was pondering the scenario.

"If this ship is destroyed because they fail, then we will be destroyed with it, then we both fail our mission…" Kershala's helmet opened as he looked at Kale. "I will not fail." He could feel Kale's fear pulsing in his mind like another heartbeat. He kissed Kale quickly and looked at Atondra who nodded before touching the console in front of her.

"Sashir, meet Kershala at the teleporter we are sending him to the Shironian vessel." Kershala gave once last reassuring glance at Kale before running out of the room and heading to the teleporter station. Sashir ran ahead of him having been the guard watching the bridge. The two of them ran into the room Kershala right to the pad Sashir to the operator's station. "Anubis, determine a location for boarding and relay it to the teleporters station."

"I've got the coordinates, Rotabu you must drop the barriers for me to activate," said Sashir.

"It is done, quickly now!" Kershala could feel the teleporter activating as Sashir did what he needed to do.

He was sent quickly to the other ship and as he touched down, he immediately ducked behind a wall activating the implant performing wide area scans to make sure nothing was around him. He figured a ship this size probably housed several thousand Shironians. He had never been on a Shironian ship before, it was what had been told to avoid his whole life. The deep red lighting made it harder to see around him causing him to use the implant mostly to navigate and the pungent smell seemed to permeate his senses. He didn't detect any immediate movement nearby, but he could tell there were almost one hundred Shironians within fifty square feet of him. The population was denser than he had thought it would be. The AI had downloaded the frequency of the dampening field to him and once he knew he wasn't in immediate danger he began scanning for it. As far as he could tell he was likely somewhere in the secondary hull of the ship, from old information gathered from Daoran recognisance missions he was likely close to what would be their engine room and major operations center. The implants scan determined the dampening field was two hundred feet ahead and below him. He began moving toward his destination. The corridors of the ship were wide and tall likely to accommodate the large population and vast size variance of the Shironians themselves. He moved quickly staying low and silent. He knew it wouldn't be long before he would run into his first patrol or security team as they likely had already detected as he entered. The nanites would automatically deploy a scattering field making it difficult for them to home in on him. He turned a corner and there was a group of five of them patrolling. Two of them were much larger than the other three all of them were in the body armor he recognized so well. As Kershala analyzed the situation he knew he wouldn't be able to avoid detection, at best he would be able to dispatch one of them before triggering the others. He wasn't worried, having handled several of these soldiers before with little issue. He ran out into the open and bounded at one of the two larger creatures, it turned to face him mid air and he landed using the momentum of his jump to thrust his arm into the creature's chest. It roared and grabbed at him but ultimately fell victim to his attack. The others sprang into action as quickly as he expected the smaller ones activating their weapons. While the bigger one attempted to bring a large blade down on him. Kershala jumped out of the way taking two energy weapon discharges to the back. The nanites protected him and didn't seem to take much damage from them. He looked back to see them readying for another volley and to also see that the blade had cut the body of the first in half. He hadn't fought the bigger ones as much as he had fought the little ones, but he knew they were slow as long as they didn't get a hold of him, he'd likely be okay dealing with them. He ran up the wall all the while sparks flying at his feet as the energy weapons collided with the duratanium plating on the walls. He propelled himself off the wall and landed behind them he grabbed one of the smaller ones by the arm and pulled it into his other fist in one quick motion severing its spinal cord. He threw his victim into its larger companion as a distraction before jumping onto its back and gripping its head under the chin. Using his legs, he pulled as hard as he could until the creatures head snapped back and fell to the ground.

"Daoran rat!" The one farthest from him yelled. The lighting in the ship changed from red to flashing yellow telling Kershala that they had sounded the intruder alarm. He quickly dispatched the next guard all the while being under constant fire from their energy weapons. The one that had spoke he closed on fast and with his hand around its neck slammed it into the wall.

"Where is the dampening field generator, Demon!" yelled Kershala. The Shironian grasped at his hand as he held it in place.

"I would never tell you anything," it hissed. Kershala reached up with his other hand and ripped the protective helmet from its head, there was a clanging sound as it hit the ground. Kershala had never been so close to a Shironian out of its armor before. It was green skinned with small eyes and a crooked nasal plate. Bone spikes protruded from around its brow and seemed to run the length of its neck as well. The very look of it disgusted him.

"Tell me!" Kershala pulled it toward him and slammed it against the wall hard enough that its backplate was cracking.

"You will kill me anyway!" it roared back at him.

"The less you cooperate the more painful your death will be." Kershala tightened his grip around its neck it struggled against his grip and started to gasp.

"I will tell you nothing!" With that the Shironian spit in his face, an acidic liquid that would likely burn if it came in contact with biomatter. Kershala's patience had run out he slammed the creature against the wall several times almost losing control of himself until the creature went limp and the back of its head was split open. Kershala felt a rage building inside of him as though more of where he was sinking in. Letting the creatures body fall to the floor, he started back toward his destination dropping down an access hatch for the maintenance tunnels that lead through the ship. As he moved through the tunnels, he took scans looking for vital systems. He knew that any damage he could do while he was here would only help the Sironia avoid them longer.

His feet hit the ground as he landed on the next level down. There was a low growl behind him, and he turned in time to see a large scaled beast jump at him pinning him to the ground. It bit ferociously for his face pawing and scratching at him with razor sharp claws and teeth that caused sparks as they connected with his suit. The saliva that oozed from its mouth was accompanied by a putrid odor and seemed to be a good deal more toxic than the guards had been. Kershala struggled to get a hold of the situation but calmed himself and grabbed the creature by its two large fangs and pulled apart with all his strength the creature cried out in pain as its bottom jaw split open. As the creature tried to pull away from him Kershala ended it with a thrust of his pointed hand through its nasal cavity. The creature's green blood and saliva oozed onto him as it collapsed onto him. The nanites in the suit triggered the self-cleaning system to get rid of the waste and within seconds it was gone from his body.

"Kershala, have you found the cause of the dampening field yet?" asked the AI coming in silently over his private channel.

"I have not made it to it yet, but I know where the source is. It looks like it is in the main engine chamber."

"Captain Atondra wants you to get as many scans of their interior as you can." Kershala started moving again.

"I have been getting scans since I landed. Have you been able to bypass their cyber warfare suite?"

"Not yet. My processors aren't at capacity yet. The process is proving frustratingly more challenging than it should."

"Keep trying, if you can get in after you disable their weapon systems access their environmental controls and drop the temperature to below freezing."

"Noted Kershala." Kershala turned a corner dropped down another hatch this time he fell out into a main corridor, it was full of people. All of them Shironian none of them in any type of armor or uniforms. They noticed him right away and seemed to be cowering away from him. Kershala stood still and looked around him in more detail. He was in a civilian area. Children and other non-combatants surrounded him.

"Please leave us alone!" called a female's voice. A small Shironian child came running out of the crowd and began hitting him at waist level. Kershala only looked at the child taking no action.

"Leave us alone, you Daoran rodent!" yelled the child. Kershala grabbed the child's arm stopping his actions. As he did, presumably the mother appeared from the crowd to retrieve her child. The child struggled under his grip.

"Please, let him go, your quarrel is not with us. We are not armed, and we cannot fight back," she spoke quietly and with previously unheard reason in her voice. The women took her child's other arm. The nanites in the helmet retracted and Kershala looked the women in the eye.

"I have seen memories of Daoran children who were tortured at the hands of your people." There were tears in Kershala's eyes as he recalled the memories from the implant found in the Arktora's collection, but also the conflict within him as he was faced with the option to do to so many Shironian soldiers, what had been done to him. The women looked him in the eyes he could see the fear rising in her as her child continued to struggle under her hand. "Your leaders and warriors killed my family including four children younger than this one."


	20. Chapter 20

Kershala had been gone seemingly for hours, when in reality, it was only about ten minutes. Kale braced himself against a console as the last volley from the Shironian ship grazed the Sironia's shielding. Kale was starting to feel a bit of nausea from the constant flying around. He could see the motion on the main viewer, and it was more than any roller coaster he had ever been on.

"Atondra, I can't stay ahead of them. They must be running some sort of predictive algorithm. It is like their weapons are predicting my maneuvers," explained Jelani tapping away at her console.

"Become unpredictable then, Jelani we are not out of the fire yet," Atondra remained calm Kale figured she likely had a strong leadership background and was doing as any good commander would do under the circumstances. The ship shook violently, and sparks flew from overhead as the ship took another heavy volley.

"I'm sorry Atondra, that just came out of nowhere."

"The barriers are down!" exclaimed Rotabu as his hands ran over his workstation. Kale felt a strange sensation behind him and turned as the light from a teleporter began to form.

"Look out!" He called immediately acting as the Shironian soldier formed in front of him. Kale body checked the soldier and knocked him off balance before striking at him like Kershala had shown him during their training.

"Atondra to all hands we are being boarded!" Atondra called before turning and subduing another of the invaders that had boarded.

"With the barriers down we will be overrun!" called Jelani. Atondra and Rotabu engaged with attackers as Kale had done. Kale could also hear an energy weapon discharge several times. He now grappled with the Shironian that had the advantage of armor over him. Kale had struck it several times but the armor both hurt his hands and stopped him from doing any damage to it. Kale gave everything he had and thrust the Shironian into a wall before it went limp. He took a step back as it fell to the ground seeing that Omall had killed it with an energy weapon along with two others.

"I have activated a scattering field throughout the ship. They will not be able to teleport in or out, but they have managed to get thirteen of them on board. You will need to deal with them," explained Anubis.

"Then we must clear the rest of the ship. Omall, come with me," said Rotabu.

"No, I need Omall to monitor our status with you gone. Take Kale and find Sashir just outside." Atondra interrupted as Omall stood to leave. Rotabu looked at Kale, he could tell that the man wasn't happy about it, but he also knew that Rotabu wouldn't disobey her. "Do you mind Kale?" she asked making eye contact with him.

"Of course not." Kale composed himself and let Rotabu take the lead.

"Kale take this!" Omall called and as Kale turned to him, he tossed him one of the energy weapons. It was small, and heavier than he expected it to be. The training he had undergone with Kershala had made mention of these weapons and having caught a glimpse of how Omall operated it, Kale was confident he would be able to use it reliably. As the door to the corridor opened Sashir joined the two of them and upon exiting Rotabu sealed the door. Sashir made eye contact with Kale, he knew that the security team had a bit of mistrust for him, but the man smiled at him thanking him with his eyes as they descended to the lower level.

As they approached the lab, they see a very large creature attempting to pry the doors open along with two smaller soldiers. Sashir acted seemingly on instinct and opened fire on the large creature. The beam from his weapon left a sizable hole in the creature's armor and it fell to the ground. The other Shironians quickly turned their attention to them opening fire with the pulse weapons that Kale had seen them use on Kershala in his memories. The three of them ducked before cover, Kale and Sashir dove behind a double workstation and Rotabu behind crates across from them. Kale tried to get a good look at where they were but started blind firing from behind his hiding place. A firefight broke out with the two Shironians firing at them and seeking cover themselves long enough for Sashir and Rotabu to return several volleys not hitting their attackers. Kale listened to their fire patterns and watched where their weapons fire landed he could tell they were aiming high so he rolled our going prone and firing several shots at the two of them he managed to hit one of them before rolling back into cover.

"One left," said Kale looking at Rotabu and then Sashir. There was suddenly quiet as the Shironian stopped firing. Kale tried to pier around their cover when Sashir stood to fire again. There were several weapon discharges in rapid succession, Kale watched as Sashir was hit multiple times in the chest. He watched the young Daoran fall backwards and rushed to his side.

"Sashir!" Rotabu stood to fire but as he did the lab door opened and a strange force blew the Shironian against a wall before it was killed by another energy weapon. Elara walked out of the lab carrying what looked to be like a rifle with a wide muzzle and Lenari ran to Sashir. Rotabu joined them at his side. Kale could see life in his eyes as he looked up at him with tears streaking his face. His eyes were strained and there were burn marks in his uniform that had burned clear to the skin. Kale was sure he was looking at open muscle. Lenari had a medical kit with him and used it to scan him.

"Sashir can you hear me," Lenari spoke loudly while he scanned Sashir with one of the tools. Sashir nodded but couldn't appear to speak. "These wounds are deeper than most energy weapons. Elara can you look at this. See if your implant can make better sense of it. His nervous system is disrupted."

"Go, get the weapon." Elara dropped down beside the man and put a hand to her implant. Lenari walked over and picked up the weapon bringing it back to her. "These are more than just energy weapons." Elara looked over the weapon itself quickly. "These weapons have been tuned to disrupt the Daoran nervous system, his implant is destabilizing."

"Can you fix it?" asked Kale.

"Help me get him to the lab!" Elara stood quickly Rotabu stayed quiet as he and Kale lifted the man, Kale on his upper body Rotabu by his feet. They took him into the lab and placed him as instructed on the unit they had used to extract the shrapnel from Kershala's body.

"Atondra to Rotabu, we are detecting four Shironian life signs in the engine room. The AI has locked them out of our systems, but they can still do considerable harm to the ship from there. You must deal with them."

"Yes Atondra, right away." Kale could tell how distressed the older man was as he walked up to Sashir and touched his face. He put his forehead to the younger mans and turned to leave.

"Father…" Sashir struggled through pained breaths. Kale looked at Rotabu who stopped in his tracks and turned to face Sashir.

"Elara!" Rotabu looked at Kale.

"Go we need you to do your job. I will do mine," said Elara grabbing several tools and setting up her equipment. Kale recalled how important the implants were to the Daoran nervous system and was hoping that they had the technology to deal with the failure of one. "Lenari go with them!" Lenari nodded, seemingly knowing that he'd be better placed as a medic than helping Elara. They exited the room Rotabu walked quickly ahead of them as they headed to the engine room. They would need to take the lift down to the bottom level of the Sironia.

"She works best under pressure," Lenari whispered so Rotabu wouldn't hear him. They stepped into the lift and it began to descend. Rotabu stood stoically but Kale could see that he had tears in his eyes as they made eye contact.

"I'm sure she will save him," Kale said quietly.

"I know Elara will do her best." Rotabu and Kale both readied their weapons. "There is a small hallway before the engine room entryway. Ashal was to be stationed there." Kale could hear in Rotabu's voice that he did not expect to find Ashal alive and as the door opened, they prepared for the worst. They walked down the narrow hallway with their weapons drawn and Lenari waiting behind them. The narrow hallway opened into a larger room with a couple of workstations just before they came to the entrance to the engine room, Ashal was not in sight but there were signs of a struggle. Kale looked around quickly at first not seeing anything but finding at first a blood footprint. Then a few feet away a drag mark of a violet blood trail leading behind some boxes.

"Here." Lenari came running over they followed the trail and found Ashal's body laying face down. Lenari leaned down and turned him to be on his back. There was a single burn mark in the center or his chest and anguish in his face. There was blood streaking from his eyes that had rolled back in his head. Lenari scanned him although what had happened was clear.

"It's the same weapon. His implant is completely burned out. I …" Lenari stuttered. "I can tell from the scans it was slow…" Lenari put his medical scanner back in his case and stood up.

"We will come back for him. We have to stop them," said Kale. Rotabu stood at the door and put his hand to his implant.

"They are not watching the door." Rotabu lowered his hand and dropped weapon to the floor.

"What are you doing?" asked Kale as Rotabu touched the panel to open the door.

"I will show them what this old warrior is made of." The door opened and Kale barely got a glimpse of where the Shironians were as Rotabu jumped into action. Two of the soldiers stood at the core housing Rotabu took them first grabbing each of them in a different hand seeming to know just wear to grab a liquid sprayed from where he sunk his fingers into their flesh. Kale could tell he had his hands around their spinal column and crushed it as they went limp. One of the others turned to him when he threw a body at it and ran behind it. They seemed reluctant to use their weapons likely because if they were to hit something the whole ship might explode. The body landed against its teammate and Rotabu shoved his fist through both of their bodies. The last one turned to Rotabu but before it could do anything, an energy weapon went off and it dropped to the ground. Kale turned to see Lenari holding the weapon in hand.

Kershala had made it to his destination feeling like he had bathed in the blood of his enemies to get to there. He stepped over the bodies and walked over to the console that controlled the dampening field. Putting his hand to the implant he began to interface with it. It wasn't long before he had control of the machine and shut it off.

"Atondra, it is done you should be able get the engines back."

"Thank you Kershala, we currently have another problem though. Our barriers are down the AI is deploying a scattering field to prevent boarding parties, but it also stops our teleporters from working."

"I will handle it." Kershala looked around he had killed the entire engine room crew but knew it wouldn't be long before more of them would be along. "I will do one better." Kershala walked over to the main engine core he could see several connectors and tubes leading into it. He bent down and hardened the nanites around his fist and rammed it as hard as he could into the tubes and ripped several of them out. A blue light began flashing and a recording began warning of an engine breach in progress and to evacuate. A chemical haze began pouring from the engine core and Kershala took a step back. He jumped to the ceiling and crawled into a hatch. Kershala switched to his secure connection with the AI. "You should be able to drop the scattering field and bring me aboard."

"Yes Kershala. I detect that they will be unable to use their teleporters." The AI paused and Kershala waited for the teleporter. "Your actions here today may bring unforeseen consequences to our future."

"I will deal with them when the time comes." Kershala could feel the teleporter activating and he was pulled from the Shironian ship. A few seconds passed and Kershala was standing on the teleporter pad of the Sironia, Omall was at the control station and Kale was waiting to greet him. Kershala let out a sigh of relief at the sight of him and retracted the nanites as he stepped down off the pad into Kales arms. "I am relieved you are well." He kissed Kale on the cheek, he could feel his relief but also a lingering sense of worry.

"Kershala," the AI came over the communications grid, "I have assumed control of the ships and we are heading back to our destination."

"Did they notice the Arktora's vessel?" asked Kershala.

"No, it seemed to remain undetected. I was not able to determine if it had even been detected before I deployed the antidetection program into their computers." Kale pulled from their embrace and seemed to be waiting for the conversation to be over.

"Will that be effective on such a large ship?" he asked.

"It will wipe the sensor readings from the backup systems preventing any type of retrieval at a later date. Because of the engine core failure, the ship will be destroyed," explained the AI.

"Good, one less ship carrying their disease across the galaxy," said Omall stepping forward. Kershala looked at Omall every instinct in him echoing the sentiment. "Maybe that will pay for Ashal's and maybe even Sashir's life."

"There were casualties?" said Kershala.

"Sashir is in surgery. Elara and Lenari are working to save him," said Kale. "Poor Rotabu hasn't left his side since we cleared the ship. We found Ashal dead at the engine core."

"Where is Atondra?"

"On the bridge, she hasn't left it," said Omall.

"Come." Kershala started toward the bridge and walked out into the main corridor. Kale followed but Omall stayed behind, likely to mourn the loss of his ship mates in solitude. As they stepped out into the corridor Kershala could see the remains of the Shironian soldiers as well as the signs of the firefight that had taken place. The AI relayed information from the ship's internal sensors and Kershala instantly knew what happened in the fight. "You did well in the fight. I am proud of you."

"Thanks, I'm glad you trained me," Kale paused and Kershala could here doubt in his voice, "But maybe a little too good. If I hadn't of gotten that kill, Sashir may not have acted so irresponsibly. I think he was jealous that I did so well in front of his father." Kershala was relieved that Kale had performed well, he knew that he would at least be able to defend himself when the need arose.

"You can not hold yourself responsible for the actions of others." Kale smiled at him but Kershala could feel that the sentiment brought little comfort to him. They walked up to the door of the command center and it opened. The AI core had settled down onto the engineering station while Jelani and Atondra remained the only two on the bridge. The communications viewer was active and Zaree and Ralu, the two guards watching the Arktora's vessel were on the screen.

"Is Sashir going to be okay, where did these weapons come from Atondra?" asked Zaree. Kershala could hear a deeper connection in her voice than just shipmates.

"Elara is quite sure that he will live but the damage to his implant is extensive we do not know what condition he will be left in," Atondra paused, "As for the weapon you can be sure that Rotabu is going over every component of it to decipher where and who created it and if it can help us help Sashir."

"I cannot believe that Ashal is gone. I wish that they had granted him a quick death, he did not deserve to suffer so much. That was my post, if I had of just been content with staying on board…" Ralu trailed off. Kershala quickly accessed the mission report the AI filed, the information was worrying to say the least. If the Shironians had developed this weapon they could eventually find other ways to deploy it.

"Ralu, when we get home we will deal with our losses. For now, I need you to stay strong and maintain your post," Atondra spoke slowly and almost motherly to the younger soldier before he walked off screen. "Comfort him Zaree, we will be back at the city ship soon." Zaree took a breath and nodded before the viewer turned back to that of their current course. Atondra stood with her hands behind her back before turning her attention to the two of them. "The AI assures us the Shironians won't be able to follow us." Kershala met her eyes he could see that she was stressed after having lost two of her crew in the battle. Daoran commanders would most often grieve in solitude to maintain strength and confidence in their subordinates. He could feel her pain but also knew she was hiding it from him he would respect her wishes and ignore it. "Thank you, Kershala. If it weren't for your willingness to go to that ship, we may have lost far more of our small family, or worse." Kershala nodded respectfully, he knew that it would more than likely have been worse. She smiled at Kale. "And of course, Kale, we could not have held this ship without your assistance. Thank you for showing us that you are willing to put your life on the line for us. May we return the favor some day."

"I wouldn't just stand by and watch knowing that Kershala was over their fighting," Kale stuttered slightly in his voice holding back emotions, "I had to give him something to come back to."

"Now if you will accompany me to the medical lab, I must check on Sashir and see if Rotabu has found any more information about this weapon," Atondra pushed passed them and headed for the lab. Kershala met eyes with Kale and then looked to the AI.

"Come with me, we must analyze this weapon and see if it can be counteracted," he said.

"Of course, Kershala. Should we end up in a scenario where you would be struck with such a weapon, I must have a way to defend against it." The AI core floated over to Kershala and he took it in hand before turning to follow Atondra down the hall.

They stepped into the lab to see Elara hovering over Sashir who was on one of the surgical beds. They had removed his body armor and all he was left in was his undergarments his bare chest and Daoran markings exposed. Lenari was running scans with the lab equipment on Sashir's nervous system. Kershala recognized the scans of the implant that were currently projected as large holograms over the surgical beds. Rotabu was at a close by workstation with one of the weapons in several pieces using his implant and scanning equipment going over every detail and working to save his son. Lenari was clearly distraught Kershala could see the tears lingering on his eyes the violet in them intensifying from the strain. Atondra walked over to Sashir and rested a comforting hand on his forehead. Kershala could see that he was restrained likely for the surgery that he had just come out of. His features seemed to relax but he did not appear to know where he was. His eyes rolling around in his head and his head moving erratically and his markings flashing in random patterns indicating severe damage to his nervous system.

"How is he Elara?" Atondra asked.

"I," Elara paused and looked from the schematic to the man on the bed in front of her and sighed, "I don't actually know. I can tell you he is not in pain anymore. But his implant is severely damaged. If its even possible to repair, it would require nano surgery to figure out where the exact damage is. He can hear us but doesn't seem to be able to speak coherent sentences. I'm not even sure if he hears us as we speak or if the words even make sense to him." As Elara stopped speaking Sashir jolted in the restraining field jerking his head from side to side and away from Atondra's hand grunting and making strange noises. "That weapon disrupted the implant so much I can't even tell if he perceives touch as touch or words as words." The AI floated over and scanned Sashir's body using two of its lenses. "I'm open to any suggestions."

"It appears that the weapon has scrambled the way the implant sends and receives signals from the body. It does not appear to have affected his passive brain functions so his internal organs will not be affected. But his cognitive abilities are severely compromised. He does not know what is going on around him because his brain currently can not make sense of it," explained the AI. "Your assessment is correct Elara. Nana surgery of the most accurate type would be required o repair the implant. However, your assessment that he is not in pain may not be correct. We do no know how he is perceiving the environment and what goes on around him." Kale stepped up beside the bed and touched Sashir's hand. He was calm for a moment before pulling away.

"Can't you guys just take the implant out? I didn't think all Daorans needed to have the implant to live," said Kale.

"We cannot. While you are right that not all of us have the implants, once we have had one installed, it becomes too entangled in our nervous system for us to just remove it," said Atondra. Elara looked over her patient and seemed to be deep in thought she let out a sigh before looking at Kershala.

"Your nanites could probably repair it, they're sophisticated enough," she said.

"While you are right, they are capable of the repairs. They would need to be directed on what to repair," explained the AI. Kershala stayed quiet. "We lack the technology on board the Sironia to be able to determine the exact issue. Until we can the nanites can be of no help."

"Rotabu have you found anything that might be able to help us out?" Elara seemed to move on from the topic right away as she turned her attention away. Kershala could tell that she was not used to running into issues she was not able to find a solution for. "Something in that weapon must contain a disruption frequency."

"I have not been able to determine it, though I can tell you this weapon is not only the Shironians technology. It is heavily modified," Rotabu sat the weapon on the table of the workstation he was at and leaned forward putting his hands on his head. "This cannot happen. There must be something we can do. I will not give these demons my son!" Rotabu slammed his first down on the table. Kershala walked over to the old warrior and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"May I take a look, Rotabu?"

"If you think you can see something I cannot then you must." Rotabu looked up at Kershala with desperate eyes. Kershala took the two main pieces of the weapon and scanned it with his own implant. He transferred the information to the AI and compared it against the records of the different weapons they had encountered. The power source for the weapon would reveal some troubling information.

"The power source this weapon uses are…" Kershala paused not wanting to finish the sentence fearing what the implications could mean for the immediate future of the war they were fighting.

"What is it Kershala?" Kale walked over to him and looked him in the eye, Kershala was unable to hide his concern from him. "I've seen that look on your face before." Kale whispered, only Kershala and Rotabu were close enough to hear.

"Why do you whisper, what are you trying to hide?" Rotabu's rage was clear in his voice. His emotions were starting to become unchecked and misdirected. Kershala could see it in his eyes.

"Out with it Kershala, what is it?" asked Atondra.

"We hide nothing, the energy source this weapon uses are the same as the Shirona Arktora that attacked earth." Kershala sat the weapon back on the table and turned to Atondra. He could see the look on her face was likely reflecting his.

"It was found out long ago, that one of the Shirona Arktora was a scientist," Atondra spoke and fear seemed to be shaking her voice, "Her experiments were said to be how the Arktora were created. They were the result of her great success in turning the experiments on herself." The whole room was silent except for Sashir's slight whimpering.

"They must be reuniting them. First, one tracks down Kershala, now we are finding their technology on common soldiers," said Elara.

"I have defeated one before," said Kershala with a low but confident voice.

"And that was alone," said Kale stepping forward and looking at each of them. "With all of you guys helping him he can do it again." Kershala knew Kale was exaggerating, if he had been caught completely alone, he would likely have not lived, but it seemed to change the atmosphere in the room. "If we have to, we'll destroy them one at a time."

"Are all humans like this or just you?" asked Elara breaking the silence.

"I don't know, to be honest," said Kale shrugging his shoulders. Kershala couldn't help but smile at Kale, he was thankful to have someone with his outlook to be around.

"Elara perhaps you should keep Sashir sedated until we reach the city ship," said Atondra returning her attention to Sashir. "Keep him comfortable." Elara nodded at the suggestion as Atondra walked to Rotabu. "As for you, old friend, you will do him no good by being in this state. Return to your bed chambers and get some rest."

"I will at least return to the command center and watch my station." Rotabu stood to leave.

"I am currently monitoring the ships systems in full, Rotabu," said the AI, "It is not necessary." Rotabu looked back at Atondra before conceding to her orders and leaving the room. Atondra shortly followed presumably heading for her private quarters.

"We can leave him here for now," Elara had administered a sedative to Sashir, "I will be notified if anything changes. Lenari go get some rest." Elara walked over to the door to the lab seemingly ushering them out of the lab. Lenari left his equipment running and walked away from the workstation. He made eye contact with Kershala as he left the room, he knew he would likely seek him out later. Kershala and Kale walked out of the room and the AI core floated along side them. The lab went dark as they left Elara headed presumably to her quarters and they headed to the chamber they had been assigned.

"Go to the bridge and monitor the ships systems from there," said Kershala ordering the AI off. "Keep us apprised of anything unusual. In the meantime, I would like to be left alone with Kale for awhile."

"Yes Kershala." The AI headed in the direction of the command center as Kale and Kershala retired to their chamber again.

"So, rough day huh." Kale walked over and immediately collapsed on the bed. He was exhausted, he had never been in a true combat situation before. Even with the training Kershala had provided him it didn't prepare him entirely for the mental strain that was associated with it. His hands still ached from punching that Shironians armor and finding out that another of the Arktora was active gave him an anxiety that he hadn't experienced before. Kershala remained silent and walked up to the window, Kale could sense that something wasn't right and stood up to comfort him. "Are you worried about that Arktora?" he asked.

"Yes." Kale walked up behind him and put his arms around Kershala's waist resting his head on his shoulder.

"We'll be fine. I meant what I said. Now that you're back with you're people, and your suits recharged, I doubt they could stop you if they tried," Kale tried to be encouraging even though he knew it wouldn't be as simple as he made it sound. He felt Kershala take his hands in his and just sat in silence for several long seconds.

"Thank you." Kershala rubbed Kales hands seemingly feeling the scraps and cuts from his fight. "Your hands." He turned to face Kale and lift his hands to look at them gently examining one side then the other. His knuckles were scratched up and with a bit of dried blood on them, some bruises had started to form on the others that weren't cut. "How did this happen?" Kershala reached into a drawer beside the bed and pulled out a small tool. He guided Kale to the bed, and they sat down.

"Whatever that Shironian metal is made out of I guess is tougher than human skin," Kale laughed. Kershala took one of his hand and clicked a button on the tool, the tip of it lit up.

"This should fix it. It will not be uncomfortable." Kale watched as Kershala ran the lighted tip of the small tube-shaped tool over the scrapes. After a couple of passes the skin on his knuckles began to heal and it seemed to clean up the blood as well. It was the same type of bio regenerator that Lenari had used when they first came aboard only this one was smaller.

"How does it work?" Kale looked from his wound to Kershala.

"It tricks your skin into healing itself at an accelerated rate by stimulating the surrounding cellular tissue." The wounds and bruises were completely gone, as Kershala switched to his other hand Kale looked over his newly healed one. It looked like there was never a cut or bruise to begin with.

"I guess if you are going to do much hand to hand combat, we will have to look into a something to protect you," said Kershala finishing up with the other hand.

"That would be appreciated." Kale looked his hand over finding it in much the condition the other one was left in. "So, is this reaction typical of Daoran ship crews with Sashir being injured?" Kale imagined that Daoran ship commanders had to deal with loosing people often. The other Daorans for some reason seemed to lack Kershala's fighting prowess aside from the display that Rotabu put on in the engine room.

"No, this crew seems particularly close. Though that is because they are small, this ship should have a compliment of closer to twenty members not the ten that are here."

"Do you think that's because they don't have enough people to fill the crew? Or …"

"I do not know Kale." Kershala put the tool back in the cabinet beside the bed and stood to walk back to the window. Kale could tell he didn't really feel like talking about what happened to Sashir, so he decided to leave it be. He was curious to learn more but knew it would come with time. He grabbed Kershala's hand and pulled him over to be standing in front of him. Kale raised his free hand to Kershala's hip and with only a few hand signals was able to tell him what he wanted. Kershala knelt into a kiss and before long was straddling Kale with his knees up on the bed. Kale rested his head against Kershala's strong chest listening to his heartbeat for a few seconds. They hadn't really had much time to just sit and enjoy each other lately, briefly before they slept didn't seem like much at all. Part of him missed just being alone with Kershala all the time but he knew that wasn't likely to be the case going forward. Specifically, when they got to the city ship, he knew they would get busy.

"Are you excited to get back to the city ship?" he asked embracing tightly.

"I am happy to be back with my people, but I do not know how the elders there are going to treat us. My father had many friends and supporters but as with everything, you cannot please everyone," explained Kershala as he ran a hand through Kales hair. "I fear they won't be happy with us."

"Don't worry about us. Unless they drag me away kicking and screaming. I'm not going anywhere." Kale could tell Kershala feared losing him, he also couldn't blame him, everyone he had ever loved had been taken from him one way or another. "You'll always come back…" Kale paused and looked up at him. "But I'll never leave." Kershala smiled at him softly and leaned into a caress. The anxiety that Kale had felt had long left both of them, Kershala seemed to at least have his mind off the Shironian scientist for now and that was all that mattered. Kale leaned back on the bed and Kershala laid down beside him to face him. Kershala touched his backhand to Kales face in a gentle touch before running his hand through his hair.

"Your hair has gotten long." Kershala laughed as he tugged gently on a single curl of Kales blond hair that fell in front of his face. It was true Kale hadn't even noticed before now, it was longer than it had ever been.

"Maybe I'll get a cut while we're on the city ship." Kale smiled at Kershala. Kale ran his hands over Kershala's back, he could feel what he was sure were knots in his back even though the musculature was different. "You're so tense." Kale began rubbing one of the spots in a circular motion and Kershala sat his chin on his shoulder.

"That is very relaxing. The strain of combat gets to me now and then. Usually a few targeted stretches are effective in releasing it. But since you are right here…" Kershala seemed to trail off as he spoke, he stood up crawling over Kale to lay on the bed. He laid on his stomach and looked back at Kale with a sweet smile on his face. Kale watched as he used the nanites to remove his body suit leaving nothing but his underwear on.

"That seems like a slight misuse of your technology," Kale smirked as he sat up on the bed and mounted Kershala. "Not that I'm complaining." Kale ran his hands along Kershala's bare skin, he was warmer than he expected him to be. He ran his hands along his body looking for the knots and as he came across a spot on his upper back, he applied a good amount of pressure and started to work the tense tissue. "Let me know if I'm going to hard."

"I doubt that you could." Kale thought it out briefly and realized it probably sounded silly, he doubted he could hurt him if he wanted to. He pushed a little harder onto the spot and Kershala seemed to twitch and move his head. He could tell the knot was deep and had been there awhile as Kershala let out a soft moan as the tension released. Kale moved across his back to the next spot and did the same thing. He watched as Kershala's muscles moved under his hands like fluid and applied more and more pressure to the tension point causing him to whimper.

"What was that?" asked Kale as he leaned up beside him on the bed.

"That was a very good feeling," Kershala smiled. Kale was surprised at the reaction he was getting, he never really considered himself a good masseuse. It had been a long time since he had given one.

"Is this your first massage?" he asked going back to the spot he had been working.

"It is," Kershala shifted his head lay on the other cheek. "This is what your people call a massage? I had seen reference to it in one of the physiological databases Anubis downloaded."

"Interesting." Kale smiled as he worked wondering if that database was a medical database or a sexual one. "How does it feel?" Kale ran his hands down Kershala's back slowly and stopped at the base of it, Kershala twitching the whole way down.

"That kind of tickles," said Kershala smiling back at him. "But otherwise it is very relaxing." Kale leaned down and kissed up Kershala's back and eventually to his cheek and then lips. Kershala nuzzled his face into the nape of Kales neck and let out a breath giving Kale chills.

"You're killin' me here boy," Kale laughed. Kale wanted to take Kershala right there but knew the likelihood of being interrupted was too high. Kershala smiled as he laid back down on the bed and Kale continued his massage. It wasn't long before he could feel Kershala relaxing under his hands, after a few minutes Kershala had dozed off. Kale gently laid down beside him kissed him on the cheek before trying to sleep himself. As he laid there, he felt like was suddenly wasn't really that tired, something that he had been plagued with while at home but hadn't been much of an issue lately. There had been nights where he'd lay in bed for over an hour just trying to fall asleep after feeling dead to the world before he got in bed. He found himself thinking of everything that had happened in the last two days. Life changing were the only words he could think of trying to sum it all up. From the second they left Earth he thought of everything he had done finding it hard to believe that he still hadn't waken up from a dream; or nightmare depending on what perspective he took. Kershala, faster than light travel, teleporters and machines that could make food seemingly from thin air; a dream. Fire fights, invasive injections, and giant anthropomorphic reptilian aliens; a nightmare.

Kershala awoke to a jolt that shook the ship lightly, Kale was sleeping next to him and the lighting had been turned down in the room. He stood up and looked out the window to see that they were docking with what he what assumed was the city ship.

"We have arrived at the Typhonus City Ship," said the AI in their private channel. The lights in the room rose to normal levels as the ship stopped moving. Kershala could feel an anxiousness rising in his chest about meeting with the elders of the ship. He did not know what to expect and this frightened him.

"Communicate with the ships AI and determine what our welcome might be like. I want a profile of the council by the time we are ready to meet with them," Kershala instructed.

"I am in the process of doing so."

"I also would like for you to determine what kind of control you will be able to exert over their systems. I do not wish to cause them harm, but should we need to escape I will not let them hold me." Kershala looked back at Kale and walked over to the side of the bed.

"Neither will I, Kershala." Kershala knew that the AI would determine the best course of action and wouldn't stand for any attempt to imprison him. Kershala reached down and shook Kale lightly who sat up quickly as if surprised that he had fallen asleep.

"We are here."


	21. Chapter 21

Kale shook his head and put his feet to the floor in quick motion. The last thing he remembered was pondering the last few days and the next Kershala was waking him up telling him they had arrived. Kershala walked calmly to the exit and the door opened automatically as he turned to wait for Kale. He could hear the rest of the crew gathering in the main corridor at the main airlock. Kale looked out the window and all he could see was the metal colored wall, he was slightly disappointed he didn't get to see the city ship on approach. He turned to follow Kershala and as they walked out into the corridor Anubis met them. Elara, Lenari and Rotabu were pulling Sashir out on a stretcher that was just floating. Lots of monitoring equipment was hooked up to him and he appeared to be asleep still. Kale wondered if they'd actually be able to help him or not or if he would be in his current state for the rest of his life. Lenari shot him a glance, Kale could tell he was tired and stressed, he didn't think he really had any time to sleep since he and Kershala came onboard and it had been more than a day. Omall, Atondra and Jelani came from the command center of the ship and met them. It still felt like the ship was moving so he thought it strange that Jelani was not at her post.

"Are we still moving?" he asked simply.

"No, the automated docking system has taken over, so the pilot is not required," explained Anubis. Kale figured it would probably be something like that that was going on. Atondra approached them greeting them with a nod.

"I hope you slept well while you could," she said.

"Yes, we are rested," Kershala nodded. Kershala had taken on a very serious demeanor Kale could tell that he was likely nervous for what was about to happen. He hadn't been around so many of his people since he was very young.

"Good. The council will likely want to see you both to talk to you about your experience with the Arktora. And of course, your plans for the future," she explained. Kale was a bit caught off guard, he expected Kershala to have to speak with them, but he didn't think they would want to speak with him. At least not with any type of detail.

"We will be prepared to face them," said Kershala taking a step closer to him.

"Kershala I would like to caution you against revealing your identity to the rest of the population right away. We do not want to cause an uproar as we are arriving. Your presence will be announced at a later time."

"Of course, Atondra," said Kershala, "I am aware of the protocol. I do not wish to make this any harder than is has to be." The ship shook with one final jolt and the lights flickered slightly. Kale could tell that meant they were ready to depart the ship. He felt a certain excitement come over him, he was excited to see the city ship after hearing so much about them from Kershala and the others. There was a hissing sound as the pressure in the ship adjusted to that of the Typhonus' atmosphere. Elara and Rotabu took Sashir off the ship first with Omall and Jelani following behind them. Lenari waited for Kale and Kershala to walk to the airlock and walked with them. Atondra followed a few feet behind them. As they stepped out of the airlock the door to the ship shut behind them. They were in a long narrow corridor with an eerie blue light beaming from all around them.

"This is just the decontamination chamber," said Lenari as they walked. "You might hear a strange noise but its just the bio sensors clearing us for entry." Kale nodded as they walked.

"So how is Sashir?" he asked.

"Not good, Elara decided to keep him in a coma, his upper brain function got worse as the time passed," Lenari shook his head as he spoke.

"I hope they can make him better." They walked down the corridor keeping the silence, they were walking slow with Elara and Rotabu setting the pace, but the corridor seemed to go on for several hundred meters ahead of them. "Any tips for how I should act?" asked Kale thinking of when he would meet the council. "I mean in front of the council. I don't plan on speaking much to the civilians right away."

"I am confident I will be able to control the conversation," said Kershala.

"Kale act like you are speaking to one of your world leaders," said Anubis. "That is the closest reference I can find for an equal figurehead in your culture."

"Alright then." They continued down the last fifty meters in silence and came to a large gate.

"Decontamination process terminated," an automated voice spoke seemingly from all around them. "Please stand back." Another hissing sound and the large gate began to open. They stood and watched as the large gate slowly rose up, Kale felt a blast of warm air rush over him as the door released. He thought he could see natural sunlight shining through it as well but didn't see how that could be possible. As soon as the gate was high enough Elara and Rotabu rushed Sashir through the door and were met by a small brigade of Daoran's in green colored clothing. Kale figured it must be the ships medical team as they rushed him off. Omall and Jelani walked up and seemed to quickly disappear into the crowd of people that waited on the other side. They likely met their families and went to spend time with them. Kale, Kershala and Lenari stepped through the large door and sure enough there was sunlight coming from somewhere above them, though Kale could not determine the source he looked up to see a colorful sky overhead. The crowd waiting for them was massive numbering in the hundreds. As they walked Kershala seemed to know where to go and Lenari followed them. Kale remembered him telling them his family had been killed, there was likely no one here to meet him or for him to leave with immediately. As they walked the people began noticing that he was different right away. He didn't' feel as though anyone was mocking him but the children were pointing. Kale smiled at them as he walked trying to give off a friendly outward appearance. He felt Kershala sticking closer to him than normal and he wasn't sure for whose benefit.

"Crew of the Sironia!" A man yelled from somewhere ahead of them. "We welcome you back, and glad to see your mission was mostly a success! Though we mourn the loss of poor Ashal, we hope Sashir may yet be restored to the wonderful young man he was. Commander Atondra, you have led another successful mission in bringing us a ship of the demons!" Kale smiled to himself, it seemed as though the man was preaching. He assumed this was the traditional welcome home. "No doubt it will prove to be of great value in our efforts against the Shironian threat!" The man continued speaking but seemed to get lost in the crowd. They came to a crossroads and were approached by two guards who wore similar uniforms to the crew of the Sironia, one male one female.

"Atondra, it is an honor, we are thankful for your return," the female spoke and both of them nodded to Atondra. "The council wishes to speak with you and your guests right away." The women's eyes addressed the three of them before settling on Lenari. "I apologize Lenari, but you have not been summoned."

"Anubis, when they are done can you notify me?" asked Lenari, "I wish to spend more time with you now that we have a bit of free time."

"Lenari go rest, we may be awhile," said Atondra. Lenari nodded at her and reluctantly left them. "Lead the way Ashara." Kale didn't like the sound of being a while. He had hoped this would be a welcoming advent not an interrogation. So far Atondra and the others were not giving him the idea that they were rolling out the red carpet for their princes return. Kershala's demeaner hadn't changed giving Kale the impression that this was what he was expecting. They followed the guard and Atondra took the lead, as they began walking Kershala gave Kale a reassuring smile. He would just have to trust that they had everything under control, there wasn't much he could do. They headed in the opposite direction Lenari took and were walking on a pathway made of a metal material. The area they walked was about six feet wide with people moving in both directions. The path itself was lined with trees and flowers of many different colors and sizes, nothing looked familiar and the color patterns were alien in appearance to him. Several Daoran's of varying ages passed them as they walked both male and female in appearance, though several also varied in their appearances. The civilian clothing didn't seem to be gender oriented both outwardly male and female Daorans being draped in several different types of clothing. Some wore monocoloured robes while others wore exquisitely colourful ones, some were in uniforms like what the crew of the Sironia wore with slight variances in color. The more casual wear went from body suits to pants and vests some wearing undershirts some not. Others seemed to be very close to what Kale would consider to be day to day clothing back on earth the only difference being the materials the clothing was made from. As they walked only a few of the Daoran's made note of Kale or even paid him any mind. He figured as a space fairing species it wouldn't be strange to see a new face from time to time.

"There are the councillors chambers," said Anubis. Kale looked ahead of them to see that they were approaching a large archway. Kale could see a set of stairs just beyond it that seemingly led down.

"You are correct," said Atondra, "Have you interfaced with the Typhonus' AI yet Anubis?"

"I have, I am currently working to catalog and update the information it has collected since its activation." Kale was suddenly worried that the AI might turn against them or face some corruption from interfacing but remembered that it was more sophisticated.

"You're newer than this AI if I remember correctly, right Anubis?" asked Kale looking for reassurance.

"Yes, I was among the last of the Daoran AI to be activated I was also heavily modified by Yailar and his Patriarch." Kale got the reassurance he was looking for and also couldn't help but notice the proudness in the AI's voice as it spoke about itself. At the sound of Yailar's name the guards both seemed to be distracted for only a few seconds. They came to the steps that led down and the guards stopped walking turning to them. They walked over to Kale and Kershala, Ashara walking to Kale and the male to Kershala.

"We must inspect you before we let you into the councils chamber," said Ashara. Kale nodded and shot Kershala a glance as the women pulled a scanning device from her belt. The male seemed to be using his implant as he scanned Kershala. Kale didn't have anything on his person other than his clothing having left the rifle on the Sironia. He didn't want to give them anything to use or perceive as hostile.

"My pleasure," said Kale smiling.

"This cannot be right," said the other guard, "Ashara will you see this?"

"What is it Theron?" she asked walking over to him her scanner already collecting data. Kale wondered what they were detecting that would worry them.

"I think my implant is giving false readings," said Theron.

"They are not," said Kershala. Atondra looked back at them and smiled. "I carry Yailar's nanites." Theron's face changed from questioning to concerned and Kale couldn't tell what was going to happen next. Theron and Ashara both took a step back Theron discreetly putting a hand on his side arm.

"You will have to surrender them before we continue," said Theron.

"I will not," said Kershala remaining calm, "Theron have things gotten so bad that you do not even trust the technology Yailar created for us?" Kale watched the man wondering if the rule about Daorans turning weapons on each other was about to be broken. Of if that in the resistance it had already been long broken.

"Theron do not speak out of turn. Send your findings to the AI and the councils guard," said Ashara, "They will make the proper decision." Theron put his hand to his implant and closed his eyes, they fluttered briefly as he sent the information. Only a few seconds passed before he opened his eyes again.

"They are letting you through," Theron seemed to be swallowing his disappointment but not hiding it very well. Atondra stayed quiet with her arms crossed as the guards began moving again. They began to follow. Kale was getting a very strong impression that something political was going on.

"Kershala, I have prepared dossiers for each of the councillors for you that we should review before you appear before them," said Anubis as they descended the stairway. Kershala stayed silent but gave the AI the go ahead to disseminate the information. "The members of the Daoran Resistance Council are as follows. Bilan, Champion of Kesach, he fought the last two major wars before first contact with the Shironians and oversaw skirmishes all through the current war. He will respect your combat prowess and will likely be greatly interested in your fight against the Arktora. He commanded your father in combat several times when he was your age. He unfortunately was not fond of your father often coming to blows over combat strategy, your father at your age was significantly more outspoken. It is important to note that after fighting in most of the wars the Daora have been involved with he has become greatly mistrusting of other species. He will not approve of Kale." The AI seemed to be letting that statement hang before continuing. "He is currently the oldest living Daoran, therefore he does not participate in the battlefield anymore but does assist with his great experience in battle strategy." Kershala had heard stories of the Champion of Kesach, a battle that Bilan had won alone fighting against the Krelan during the first war the Daora participated in. He had great respect for Bilan's abilities on the battlefield as well as his experience in age.

"Lareela," the AI continued, "is the diplomat currently in charge of civilian affairs for the resistance. She was a young woman by the time first contact had taken place and is best known for being the only Daoran diplomat who was able to negotiate peace talks with the Shironians. Ultimately, she was unsuccessful in her venture, but there has never been another meeting of its kind since. Only months later the Shironians would launch a full-on attack on Yaria. When first contact took place, she was the leader of a small group of Daoran's who opposed Yailar. Due to her ability to work the fear of the people she became Yailar's biggest political enemy during the war. Her cunning on the political battlefield is what got her to where she is now. She was often bested by your mother during political debates." Kershala smiled at the thought of his mother regretting he never got to know that side of her. During his life there were no politics that he could remember. "You should note that she did take a non-Daoran mate. Records show it was likely a Turaleon, but he was killed during the attack on the Ataria." Kershala thought for a moment that maybe she would show him some favor as he did not follow the same path his father chose completely.

"The third member of the council is Alarai. He is a good deal younger than the others being closer to Yailar's age. He was born on the Ataria after the war but long before we were forced to inhabit the ship. He is the leader of the resistance as a whole and has been since it came to be. He is directly responsible for sending Yailar and his family into exile. He is an accomplished espionage specialist with several high-profile intelligence operations under his command. It seems that most of the information has been tampered with in his file and a lot of it is not available. I can tell you that he is well respected amongst the civilian and military population of the Typhonus. It would appear that a good deal of the resistance commanders such as Atondra are from under his former command as well," Anubis finished the dossiers. Kershala thought that considering Atondra's over all demeaner that Alarai may not have been a potential enemy, but he would likely have a hard time forgetting that this man forced his family into exile. Even if it wasn't solely his decision. As they walked the stairwell ended and they entered a very busy room. Kershala scanned the room and listened to the conversations going on around him and it wasn't hard to tell that they had entered the main operations room of the ship. There were monitors lining the room and probably about twenty-five people working the different stations. Kershala's implant was detecting a communications array for both external and internal communiques operated by three people at different stations. The navigation system was tied directly to this room as well, the city ship didn't stay still for very long, he could tell from their navigation reports on several monitors that they had recently spent a lot of time in open space travelling from system to system. Two officers were monitoring the navigation and he could see that they had resumed FTL travel from screens they sat in front of. The engines used in the city ships was a great deal more powerful than almost anything he had ever seen in person before. They not only powered the FTL drive but also all of the subsystems and environmental systems of the ship itself. Kershala could see the Arktora's ship on a couple of screens to the left. They appeared to be running sensor sweeps of the vessel trying to figure out information like what the hull was made of and what kind of weapons upgrades they may need to fight it. Kershala looked at Kale sensing a small amount of excitement from him, there were still so many things he hadn't been exposed to yet, in a way he was envious of Kale's naivety to the galaxy.

"Kershala, the council chamber is through here," said Atondra. Kershala didn't realize that he had stopped while he looked around. He looked back at Kale who took his place at his side and they continued together through and arched doorway. Atondra and the other two guards walked ahead of them the AI core floated closely above them. They continued down a corridor which opened into a large room through an automated door. The room they entered was a large dome with a very high ceiling. There were three podiums ahead of them on an elevated stage, the council members hadn't arrived yet. Kershala could feel the ships AI all around him suddenly, he figured he hadn't felt it before most likely due to a security field that protected it from hostile actions. He also recalled that the older AI didn't have the capability to interface remotely with all Daorans only those with specific clearance. Anubis had been built during war times and had learned quick what it was equipped with to defend itself and how to use it. The older AI had been updated with protocols and their intelligence increased with exposure like any self learning intelligence, but they weren't as equipped to deal with hostile forces. He looked up to see the AI housing a large dome structure sat above them, supported by several metal beams holding it to the ceiling. The housing and this particular AI had been completely shackled to the ship; this was an odd practice as the AI in Daoran society before were often as mobile as Anubis though they were larger.

"My counterpart is scanning you, Kershala," said Anubis through their private channel. "I have blocked it from interfacing with your implant for the time being. Given the resistances past with your family, we must be clear of their intent before we allow them to know too much about you." Kershala didn't really like hiding from his people but he knew Anubis was right. Atondra and the two guards stopped walking ahead of them as they reached the center of the room, Atondra signalled them to stop. The door behind them slid shut and the lighting in the room decreased slightly. A light came from ahead of them as the three councillors were teleported into the room. Kershala figured this was likely a security precaution. Historically, the city ship councils would be housed separately in a chamber deep in the ship to protect the leadership during times of war, this practise was likely in full effect now.

"That's a bit melodramatic isn't it?" whispered Kale. Kershala looked at him and hushed him with his eyes. He turned his attention back to the council the two of the three Daorans seemed to be well beyond his fathers age as Anubis had told him. Bilan had been positioned at the left podium, his warriors' body had long left him it was clear that he now lived a more luxurious existence as a council member. His somewhat rounded body covered in old warriors' robes of blue and violet. His eyes had lost most of their color, his long-woven hair was completely colorless and hung down beyond the base of his back. His markings were visible leading up his wrinkled neck, climbing up his nasal ridge consisting of several sharp angles and straight lines representative of a long dead family line. The second councillor, Lareela, was positioned in the center of the other two, she was a very tall women but was also very thin for a Daoran. Her facial features were very small and seemed to be artificially young, her long wavy hair had lost some of its color but was a healthy mixture of white and black in violet. She wore a long elegant white gown with a deep v cut in the front revealing her swirling markings across her chest and neck, her shoulders were covered by a violet shawl. The third council member, Alarai, stood at the right podium, just from the way the man was standing Kershala could see his confidence. He was about Yailar's age though Kershala could tell he had taken artificial means to make himself look younger. He wore the same uniform that Atondra wore though the colors were different than what he had seen so far, black with violet lines running along the shoulders. His head was shaved revealing markings very close to Atondra's, it was clear that they were of the same family but at this time Kershala couldn't tell if that was good or bad yet. Alarai had the look of a warrior his age and lifestyle hadn't taken his warriors body from him and his was taller than everyone in the room. His deep violet eyes met Kershala and seemed to be piercing him as he tried to interact with his implant. He would undoubtedly get everything he needed from Atondra.


	22. Chapter 22

"Theron, Ashara you are relieved. Atondra wait in operations we will send for you shortly," said Alarai.

"Of course, Alarai." Atondra gave a slight bow before turning and heading back to the exit, Ashara and Theron both gave a nod and quickly followed. As the door shut behind them Bilan stepped down from his podium. For his age Bilan seemed to get around quite fine but Kershala could tell there was a definite amount of technology in his body making him much spryer than he should be. As he watched the older man descend the stage, he was reminded of his Gaban and couldn't help but smile. Bilan made his way to be standing only a few feet from Kershala when he stopped and made eye contact with him. Kershala dropped to one knee in proper greeting of such an accomplished elder. Kale quickly did the same.

"The son of Yailar has returned to us, I am glad to see that your Karu raised you well," Bilan spoke in a gruff thick voice with a strong accent similar to his own, "Come stand before me." Kershala raised slowly and walked to within arms reach of him. The old man looked up at him and reached out resting a hand on his chest. "I can see that your upbringing has been so much harder than it had to be." Bilan spoke slowly as if trying to catch a breath between words. "We had been told that your family was destroyed in the Akia system. It pleases me that your bloodline is not gone. Tell me, did Yailar show you to fight?"

"Yes, Bilan," said Kershala.

"Atondra's report says you bested the Arktora known as Jinnar," said Alarai. Bilan looked back at Alarai and then to Kershala with a surprised look on his face.

"Will you let me see these memories?" asked Bilan. Kershala knew the only way for him to show them would be the Jadak'tora, Bilan's implant was much older and would require the link for him to see the memories. The AI wouldn't be able to show him as he did Atondra.

"I will allow you to see them as I did."

"Are you familiar with our ways, the Jadak'tora?" asked Bilan.

"Yes, I have performed it several times only recently, Bilan," Kershala felt confident in his ability. Bilan reached up to Kershala's face and closed his eyes.

"I doubt you have experienced it as I have, relax young one." The old mans markings began to glow faintly as the connection was made. Kershala recalled the memories of the Arktora and felt them easily being passed along to Bilan, the link was much simpler with another Daoran and when he was not the one guiding as he had with Kale. The memories were much more vivid than he was ready for however, he felt an impact in his chest and resisted the urge to fall forward, followed by an overwhelming pain in his side and arm. An impact to the face, a tearing pain in his leg then suddenly a crushing pain in his neck, slamming pain in his back and he suddenly felt weak. A heavy fear of loss come over him and the sound of gun shots echoed in his ears before his skin started to buzz and he could taste blood in his mouth. A familiar happiness followed and the memory of a kiss, the experience stopped and Bilan pulled his hand away looking at Kershala before looking to Kale with a scoff. "It is a shame that you have chosen to mate with a non-daoran," the old man spoke with a renewed vigor, "I guess that is to be expected when you weren't raised around your own people." Lareela let out a sigh and rolled her eyes at the comment.

"Enough Bilan," Lareela spoke from her podium her voice high pitched almost to the point of shrill. Bilan gave Kershala a convicting look and returned slowly to his podium. "Kershala I too am pleased to see that you are alive. Kale I am also pleased to see that the humans have finally joined the galactic community." Lareela smiled at Kale.

"Well we really haven't, just one so far," Kale spoke shyly clearly shaken from his interaction with Bilan.

"Now Kershala, there is something we must discuss." The tone change in Lareela's voice was evident as she became almost hostile. "Is it your intention to take control of us? What makes you think you are qualified to rule us?" she said leaning in. Anubis floated to be in front of Kershala as he took a breath to speak.

"Kershala has all the required information in my database. He has been training his whole life to lead the Daoran people, his people," it said. Lareela seemed to become more agitated at Anubis answering her. Kershala took a step forward before she could speak.

"It is my destiny to lead the Daoran people, but I am no fool. I am not old enough, nor have I the required experience yet to lead," he said, "I do not wish to lead the people until I can lead them right to Yaria."

"Is that so," laughed Alarai, "and just what do you think is left of the home world now that the Shironians have been living there."

"I remind you it has only been twenty years since they took our planet. They can not have done so much that it is irreparable."

"We are a long way from those days Kershala," said Bilan.

"I will kill their leader and force them to return our home world. You will see." Kershala squeezed his hands into a fist trying to contain his rage at the thought of fighting Baraketh.

"You are naïve, no one has even been close to Baraketh the Hunter since my peace talks, and we all know that those were only for show," said Lareela. "And if we are to trust you why do you block our scans of you?"

"Anubis," Kershala paused, "has determined that in order to keep myself protected that we must protect certain information. I apologize but we must be certain of where we stand."

"Given my background I respect your choice to protect yourself from unknown and potential enemies," said Alarai. Alarai paused and looked briefly to both of his counterparts before stepping out from behind his podium. "I… respect your goal to destroy Baraketh. But based on the reports from Atondra's mission, to even make your goal attainable we must find the source of these weapons and destroy them, before the entire Shironian Empire has been equipped with them."

"Will you let me help you then?" asked Kershala taking a step forward.

"His combat skills are unmatched anywhere else in the resistance," said Bilan looking at Alarai and Lareela. "This boy has accomplished more in combat in his short years then most of our so-called soldiers have their entire career." Kershala did find it odd that most of the crew of the Sironia seemed to be incredibly inexperienced considering they were an active battle starship.

"Why are your people so inexperienced?" he asked. "When the Sironia was boarded those Shironians should not have been a match for Atondra and her crew."

"It is because most of the soldiers in our resistance are civilians who have stepped up to fill our ranks. Most of the fleet's warriors were killed during major operations in the beginning of our Resistance movement. Those that are left have taken on command roles, such as commander Atondra." Lareela's disgust was present in her voice Kershala could tell that she was not please with sending civilians into combat.

"We have had to greatly dial back our offensive operations in favor of merely existing and keeping the populace safe," said Alarai. "I welcome the chance to finally run combat ops again."

"We must focus on the task at hand," said Bilan, "How do we find out where these weapons are being manufactured, and how do we know that they are not all through the Shironian fleet." Kershala thought back to his encounters on the ship, the nanites would have information regarding the energy weapons he was hit with.

"Anubis display the information collected from the nanites regarding the energy weapons used on the Shironian ship," he said looking back to the AI core. The core floated to a position between the podiums and Kershala and displayed a holographic chart of the weapons energy signature that he had been hit with. "Now display the energy signature of the weapons fire taken on the planet in the Akia system." A second chart appeared next to the first just as Atondra came back into the room. Both energy signatures shown were identical. "I was in the main corridors of the ship and in their engine room, if the weapons were widespread already, they would be used there without question."

"Anubis, can you display the energy signature of the weapons that were fired on the Sironia?" asked Atondra as she stepped up beside Kershala and gave him a welcoming glance. The AI created the projection of the energy signatures as directed. It had been connected to the ship as it once had to his family's vessel while the attack was going on, so it had collected a vast amount of sensor data.

"The energy dispersal pattern would suggest that the weapons are still experimental, therefore are likely in limited production," Anubis suggested.

"Can you determine by the make up of the components where they are being produced?" Alarai looked intently at the energy read outs as he walked toward them stopping on the other side of them across from Kershala.

"A metallurgical analysis has revealed it is made of refined letracite. The ore itself is quite common, but to refine it in mass quantities takes a vast amount of energy. Based on the most recent intelligence reports the Shiran only have one refinery that would be capable of the required energy output. It draws energy from the gas giant in the Lorendar system."

"That's at least three days from our current destination. Are you absolutely sure, Anubis?" said Atondra.

"The calculations are correct." Anubis projected a star chart showing the system they talked about. "Tell me, Alarai, I have been unable to determine if there are any Laurentian class ships left in your fleet. They are a good deal faster then the Neori class ship Atondra currently commands."

"We only have two left, and both are assigned to long term intelligence operations to keep an eye on the Shironian fleets." This explained why the city ship had been able to stay away from the Shironians for so long. The Laurentian class ships were unmatched in speed and stealth as well as long range communications but had limited combat usage.

"The Sironia can get us there," Atondra crossed her arms and adjusted her posture.

"Of course," said Anubis.

"Then it is settled, the Sironia will set a course once we have reached our current destination. Kershala, we are counting on you," said Bilan. Anubis cancelled the projection and positioned itself beside Kershala again.

"Anubis you may allow you the Typhonus to communicate with my implant. It may not access my personal memories, only relevant tactical information." As Kershala spoke the words he could feel the Typhonus interfacing with him, it quickly took the information Kershala had opened to it but also it accessed his genetic information and it wasn't long before a projection of the AI stood in front of him it was a Daoran male wearing a ceremonial hooded robe. This seemed to catch everyone in the room off their guard.

"The bloodline of Eshalaron Yailar has been detected, please let me take you to your vault." The hologram spoke and nodded to Kershala. Eshalaron was in fact Yailar's Gaban, Kershala had been given part of his name from him but he hadn't heard his name in a very long time. As everyone would likely recognize him for Yailar's bloodline. The Typhonus AI was indeed very old but the city ship itself was old as well and had been in service since before Eshalaron's time.

"Typhonus explain what this vault is," said Alarai surprise still lingering in his voice. "Why have we not been made aware of its existence before this." The hologram turned its head to face him.

"During the time briefly after first contact when Eshalaron's rule was coming to an end he foresaw the great threat that stood before the Daoran people and ordered the future Patriarchs of his family to train their children heavily in combat. He also ordered that a cache of powerful weaponry be placed in a secret location of each of the city ships in operation at the time. The Ataria, Typhonus, and the Antona were all in operation at that time." There was a strange hiss from somewhere to the left and a door began opening, the hologram began walking toward the opening, a strong light shone from just beyond it. Kershala willfully followed, he hadn't heard of this information before and already had Anubis checking for the information in his patriarch's logs.

"There is only a brief mention of this in Yailar's personal entries." Anubis spoke over their private channel. Alarai walked with them as did Kale and Atondra but the other councillors stayed where they were. Kershala entered the room directly behind the hologram and an energy barrier suddenly blocked the door preventing the others from entering.

"What is this?" said Alarai irritated.

"Kershala is everything okay?" asked Kale. Atondra stayed quiet.

"Only Eshalaron's family may enter the vault," said the Typhonus AI.

"I command this vessel, take down this barrier at once," said Alarai but his request went unheard. The room they were in was very small only ten feet wide by fifteen feet long.

"Here you will find some of the most powerful weapons the Daoran people have ever created." The hologram walked very slowly before stopping with Kershala a foot away. It waved its hand to the right side and a weapon case appeared on the wall. "Radeeko." Several of the weapon Kershala was so familiar with appeared to be teleported to the table. The hologram waved its left hand and another casing appeared. "Medical nanites. Premixed with Eshalaron's blood." The vials Kershala had used during the crash and watched the last one he knew to be in existence break appeared in the casing. They would only work for him, but they would be incredibly useful in the coming mission. Several of the injector tools formed in the top of the casing as well. The hologram continued to walk and extended its arms outward several weapons appeared out of nowhere. Several bladed weapons including blades similar to those that Kershala had trained with many years ago. Also, several different types of energy weapons from handheld to head mounted took up another section, Kershala had training with several of these types of weapons but preferred close combat given the choice. "You should find a weapon for every type of foreseeable scenario in this vault," the hologram turned to face him as it spoke. "If you wish to allow others to access them, you must simply give the signal through your implant. Once the data print has been confirmed they may enter." The hologram vanished and Kershala turned to look at Kale and the others waiting in the doorway. Anubis entered the room and began taking stock in the weapons that were presented. There was a replication unit on the wall and Kershala walked over to it. His interface told him the unit could be used for simple weapon storage but nothing more. It replicated a casing for the medical nanites Kershala took it in his hand.

"Kale come here," he said. Kale stood in the doorway and looked at the barrier warily. "It will let you pass."

"Okay." Kale put his hand to the barrier which separated to allow it through as he could tell it was okay, he walked through the doorway and over to Kershala. "What do you need?"

"Take this case and fill it with those vials. They are the same as the ones you saw me use the first day we met. They are very important. Something I can only entrust to you." Kale smiled as Kershala passed him the case and turned to do as he was asked. Kershala turned to the Radeeko and other weapons deploying the suit except for his helmet. The Radeeko were constructed in a fashion that allowed the nanites to deconstruct and store them for when they were ready to be used. He reached down and touched the weapons letting the nanites swarm them, in only seconds there was no trace that they were ever there and the nanites returned to the suit fully equipped.

"Kershala will you allow us to enter?" asked Atondra.

"I regret Atondra, but I cannot. Not yet. These weapons are incredibly dangerous without the proper training. Training that I have passed on to Kale through Jadak'tora." Alarai let out a frustrated grunt and walked out of view.

"I understand." Atondra nodded before following her brother. Kershala looked at Kale who had finished putting the last vial into the case and turned to face him.

"Come we must get back to the council." Kershala closed the case and pushed it into Kale chest as he recalled the nanites, they walked through the barrier and the vault sealed behind them. They were standing before the council once again and Alarai and Atondra were notably absent.

"Kershala, the mission has been laid before you, you have the capability and the tools to carry it out," said Bilan. "The Sironia will be ready to leave tomorrow morning from the Aresh space dock."

"In the meantime, I have ordered a living quarters be prepared for you and Kale on deck four. The AI will guide you to it," said Lareela. "I suggest you rest in the meantime; you will need it." Lareela and Bilan looked at each other and took a step back from their podiums the teleporter activated and pulled them from the room. The three of them were left in the room alone the entry way behind them opened and the lighting returned to normal levels.

As the lights returned to normal Kale was sure that he just had the strangest and most important thing he had ever been part of take place. He had no idea what to expect in meeting the council. The hostility seemed so oddly placed but it seemed that everything went okay. He wasn't sure that they were in a good spot with the council considering Bilan's reaction to him but at least they were working together. Kershala seemed to handle himself well, no doubt with Anubis feeding him information the whole time. The whole time Kale was getting a sort of confidence from him that he hadn't expected to be there. Kershala seemed awkward and inexperienced in most social situations but put him in front of diplomats and dignitary's and he seemed to know exactly what he needed to do.

"You should let Lenari know that we're done, he said he wanted to meet up with us afterward," said Kale as the three of them started moving again. Anubis took the lead no doubt having taken the information from the Typhonus' AI on where they were supposed to go.

"I have signalled him," said Anubis, "he will meet us outside of the building." They left the council chambers and were out into the busy room, Kale got the sense it was likely the central hub of operations with the city ship that was undoubtedly the size of a space station. He could tell they were likely moving but it didn't feel the same as being on the Sironia and there was no way that he could tell to see outside the ship yet. Ashara and Theron waited on the other side of the room and as they got closer proceeded to act as their escort walking ahead of them as they headed up the long stairwell.

"Do you think that went well? Alarai and Lareela don't seem to like you very much," said Kale as they trudged the stairs.

"That they are willing to listen and work with me to accomplish our goals means a lot," said Kershala. "I do not particularly care if Lareela or Alarai like me." Kershala smirked at him as they walked.

"Still can't hurt to make friends in high places."

"They are not as high as they want to think they are Kale. They know that if Kershala were to reveal himself to the populace that the majority of them would follow him. They cooperate because they do not want to agitate the situation. They know that as long as Kershala is preoccupied with his current objective, they will remain in their positions," explained Anubis. Anubis spoke candidly and didn't attempt to hide what it was saying, Kale noticed Theron glare back at them. Anubis was likely right but not everyone seemed to feel like it thought they did. It wasn't long before they were at the top of the stairway as they doors opened into the street sure enough Lenari was standing outside next to a tree. He smiled and ran to them as he saw them emerge.

"How did it go?" he asked.

"In the morning the Sironia will leave on a mission to the Lorendar system, I expect Atondra will brief you in the morning," said Kershala.

"Good they are cooperating with you then. I wasn't sure how it was going to go. Alarai can sometimes be quite stubborn." Theron and Ashara walked back inside the building and the doorway shut. "Did they assign you a living space?"

"Yeah on deck four apparently. I'm assuming Anubis has a unit number or something for us though. They never said what one."

"Deck four? That is to be expected I suppose. Before you go there will you accompany me to the Medical Sector? I would like to see how Elara is making out with Sashir with the Typhonus medical teams." Kale had been waiting anxiously to see what the rest of the city ship looked like but was also quite tired. He could tell that Kershala was tired as well, they both needed a solid good night's sleep on a decent bed for once.

"I'm good to go if you are, Kershala." The expression on Lenari's face told Kale that he really wanted them to go with him, he seemed to be nervous to go alone.

"We will accompany you but, we must rest soon," said Kershala.

"Thank you," Lenari had a grateful expression on his face as he walked over to a terminal that was hoisted out of the ground on a podium. "I will call the transit system." Kale was intrigued as to what a public transit system would look like on a massive starship. It wasn't long before a small pod zipped seemingly from the sky somewhere and hovered in front of them. It wasn't entirely unlike what Kershala had crash landed on Earth in. A door opened and two people got off ahead of them and they filed into the small vehicle. The inside was bigger than he thought it would be as he stepped down into the pod. There were six seats along either side of the wall and currently no one else was in the vehicle. Kale took a seat and Kershala sat next to him with Lenari across from Kershala. There were no windows in the vehicle and as it lifted off Kale couldn't even feel that they were moving.

"Why's there no windows?" asked Kale. "Structural weakness?"

"We usually don't need them, we do not have to look to see where to get off since it programs as we board through the AI or our implants," explained Lenari, "The pod has virtual windows." Kale didn't even know what that meant when the walls of the pod suddenly turned into windows, it was startling at first as he watched the buildings flying almost right into the pods. "It uses sensors that are position outside of the pod to aid in navigation, mostly collision detection. But some of the newer pods have this option." Kale watched as they flew through the beautiful futuristic city. There were massive skyscrapers that reached into the sky and connected at the top of another structure. Vehicles that seemed to fly in what otherwise looked like traffic lines. There were streets and structures positioned far below them where entire neighborhoods were visible.

"Kershala how many people live here?" he asked.

"The Typhonus was the biggest city ship in the fleet. At one time one hundred and twenty thousand people lived here," he said looking around at the projections.

"Now there are forty-nine thousand Daorans registered with the Typhonus AI," said Anubis filling in the blanks. The group fell silent and Kale didn't have to ask what happened to everyone else that lived here and didn't want to ask if this was the last of their population. He figured from the silence he didn't want to hear the answer. The projections shut off and the door slid open, they had reached their destination. Kale was the first one out of the pod and was met with strange stares from a few of the Daoran's that were around them. Kershala and Lenari exited the pod behind him with the AI in tow. Kale smiled and nodded to the people that stared at him and Kershala stepped up beside him. Kale would have to get used to being the alien in their current situation; he began to wonder if he would get this reaction everywhere he went.

"I hope they aren't scared of me."

"They are not, they have just not seen a human before," said Kershala. He sounded like he was trying to offer Kale reassurance, but it wasn't needed. He didn't feel left out or isolated knowing that Kershala was always right behind him. Lenari began leading them to the entrance of the large structure ahead of them. Kale could tell it was likely the main medical hall as they entered, they went through a set of doors and were contained in a room with glass walls. Kale could see a functional lobby beyond where they were and wondered why Lenari stopped.

"Decontamination in progress please remain still," an automated voice played over an intercom. A light began to move back and forth passed them as they remained still, Kale didn't feel anything but understood what was happening. After a couple of passes there was a sound as the doors ahead of them slid open. They proceeded through the lobby.

"Sashir is in the emergency ward." Lenari started leading them and as they walked, they were in a hallway that slowly turned into an open room. Kale looked to his left to see several small pods in the room just beyond a glass window. Kershala stopped moving and looked beyond the glass, Kale could feel a sudden burst of emotion from him, but he wasn't sure what to make of it at first as a tear fell from his face. He wiped it away and looked at Kershala, Lenari was a few feet ahead of them when he realized they had stopped. Kershala seemed to be shaking as he raised his hands to the glass and looked in at the pods. It only took a few seconds for Kale to realize that they were looking at a Daoran nursery. The pods seemed to just be small beds containing Daoran children. Several wards walked amongst the children most likely giving them their daily care and food. One of the wards noticed Kershala looking and stopped and waved at him. Kershala smiled through tears of joy and Kale walked over and took his hand.

"Are those Daoran… children?" asked Kale looking up at Kershala.

"Yes," Kershala looked around, Kale could tell he was looking for the entrance. "I wish to see them. Anubis!" Kershala became overcome with emotion at the site of the babies and spoke very loudly.

"I have gained permission Kershala," said Anubis. "The entry way." Anubis floated down the hall to another glass door. Kershala quickly followed with Kale in tow. Lenari fell behind only slightly. They walked in and were greeted by one of the wards.

"The AI says you have permission to be here but I'm unsure why you wish to be here," she said.

"Please I have been away from our people for so long, I have not seen a youngling since my younger siblings were born," said Kershala. "I know it may sound silly; I just need to see one of them… please." The ward looked at Kale strangely before looking back to Kershala who had tears streaking his face. Kale wasn't sure of the Daoran custom around child access, but he knew it would be strange in human society for a stranger to want to hold one of the babies with out their parents around. He was expecting refusal.

"I have a special case that requires my attention, you may accompany me." The ward picked up a tool from a cart that was nearby and beckoned them along. Kale looked back at Lenari who was behind them knowing that he might have been growing impatient, but he seemed to remain pleasant.


	23. Chapter 23

They entered a segregated room that Kale could tell was a special treatment ward, there was one small pod in the room and could hear a child's soft whimpers. "This little one's name is Adeoye, his implant won't sync up with his nervous system properly, so it's been requiring constant realignment." The small pod opened, and the child's whimpering was slightly louder. Kale figured that by the human growth scale the child was equal to only a few days old. He couldn't believe the implant was put in this young. "He was a natural birth and his patriarch wasn't nourished enough to support him so there is a little bit of under development in his cerebral cortex." Kershala reached in with both hands and picked up the child. Immediately Kale could see the child's markings had started to form on his face and his eyes were large with very large pupils like the other Daorans had. The violet was particularly bright in his eyes something Kale figured must dull slightly at they age; he also had a full head of hair.

"He is a beautiful baby," said Kershala as he took him to his chest. Adeoye's cries became subdued as Kershala held him. Kale watched as Kershala cradled the baby in his arms bringing him to a resting position with the baby's head on his shoulder. He watched as Kershala seemed to crumble into himself slowly falling to his knees with tears streaming his face and sobbing quietly. He was still under his own power but was clearly more than overcome with joy. "Kale, this is what I fight for… all of these beautiful Daoran children must have a home to go back to." Kale watched Kershala's gentle side take over as he rose back to his feet and ran a soothing hand over Adeoye's head. Kale smiled at the sight of him with the child and could tell that Kershala must have been the best type of big brother. The ward began to scan the child with the tool and ran it around the area the implant had been injected. Kale could see a very small disturbance in the child's skin where they had put the implant in.

"It still doesn't seem to be syncing, I'm going to have to get my superior to look at this one," said the ward reading from her scanning tool.

"I believe I can help him."

"How, are you a doctor?" asked the ward.

"No. The eldest of my siblings was born with this problem eleven years ago. My patriarch had to use the same technique to help him." Kershala held the infant to his chest and Kale could tell that his heartbeat was causing the child to calm. "It will be slightly uncomfortable but only briefly. Will you allow me to help him?" The ward looked at Kershala it was clear she wasn't sure what he was about to do but Kale was starting to get the idea that this was something that Daoran's just trusted each other around. He knew they would never harm their children somehow even without knowing him. The ward nodded and Kershala extended his hand to Kale, he took it not sure what was about to happen. "Hold him he is going to likely fidget once I start." Kale listened and rested both hands around the child's back. Kershala closed his eyes and Kale watched as a stream of nanites flowed from his implant and seemed to funnel into Adeoye's injection point. The nanites filed in and Kershala kept his eyes closed and sure enough the baby began to move and vibrate slightly as well as make some distressed cries. Kale watched as Kershala's head moved around as he seemed to be concentrating quite hard on the task all the while gripping the child close to him with great affection. A little over a minute passed and Kershala recalled the nanites to his implant and opened his eyes. The baby stopped fidgeting and Kale lowered his hands away, Kershala cradled the baby in his arms and looked down at him. Adeoye smiled a happy baby smile and made a bit of a gurgle. Kershala put his forehead to his. "You are going to grow up to be a strong little warrior, I will make sure of it." The ward ran her scanner over the child again and checked it.

"What did you do, the implant is responding as normal now?" Kershala rested the baby back in the small pod and touched his face, the child seemed to quiet.

"I am aware of the procedure in infants using the nanites to deconstruct and reconstruct the implant at a microscopic level. The nanites can also maintain the nervous system for a brief period to allow this to work," explained Kershala.

"How is that possible?" asked Kale.

"At this stage the implant hasn't taken full control of the nervous system yet, therefore the body can go without with minor supplementation from the nanites to make sure the connections have an easier time forming," said Lenari.

"Amazing," said Kale. Kershala sat staring at the baby for a few long seconds before looking back to Lenari.

"We can continue on," he said. "Please tell his parents of me, I wish to meet them should time allow for it later." Kershala touched Adeoye's forehead before walking out of the ward. Lenari and Kale followed with the AI floating above them.

"This is the Childcare Ward as you can see," said Lenari, "the Birth Ward is just beyond here."

They continued down the hall and sure enough came to what must have been the Birth Ward. Kale could see the large birthing pods along the wall that Kershala had once described to him a long time ago. Each of them was set up with several monitoring systems and a specialist seemed to be checking in on them as they walked.

"Why isn't there anyone here other than the workers?" asked Kale thinking it odd that they hadn't seen anyone other than the staff. "Shouldn't there be people watching their children?"

"Daoran's trust greatly with regard to medical care, we do not tend to visit as we feel it may interfere with what the medical staff are doing," said Lenari. "If they wish to check in on their child, they can get a full visual from their homes through the AI and it's holographic displays."

"That's a very good philosophy around medical care," said Kale. They entered a lift at the end of the long hallway and were taken up a floor. The doors slide opened to a large segmented laboratory, there were people everywhere on this floor. Kale could see that several experiments seemed to be taking place throughout the separate sectors of the lab. As they walked, he caught a glimpse of the weapon they had taken from the boarding party, it was on a small stand and had been completely taken apart. It wasn't long until they came to where Sashir had been taken, he was in a large room with only three doctors remaining including Elara. Rotabu was sitting next to the bed Sashir was laying in. Kale could see that he was at least maintaining eye contact with Rotabu. They must have been able to help him at least a little bit. The two other doctors seemed to be looking at an enlarged hologram of the implant, it was projected in blue for the most part but had several red areas throughout the projection. Kale figured this likely represented the damage it had sustained from the weapon. Elara was looking over a report on a nearby monitor when she laid eyes on them. She walked away from her monitor and out into the entry way.

"I hear your meeting went well Kershala," she said. "Atondra told me of the mission we are taking on tomorrow."

"Yes, it will be very challenging, but I believe that we are equipped for what lies ahead," said Kershala. Lenari stepped forward seemingly ignored by Elara.

"How is he doing?" he asked.

"We have stabilized his nervous system and the implant is able to support autonomic functions again, but we are not sure if the stability will last or not. He will have to remain here in the experimental trauma center in case something goes wrong," Elara explained. Kale looked around realizing that Sashir was in the only bed in the facility.

"Can we see him?" Lenari seemed to be choking back tears as he spoke suddenly, Kale hadn't gotten the impression they were all that close to begin with, but he had no idea on how Daorans communicated outside of his experience with Kershala.

"You may, but only briefly Lenari. We are not sure how too much stimuli will effect the implants functionality." Elara stepped to the side and they walked past her. Kershala and Kale both hung back but Lenari all but ran right to Sashir's bedside. Kale caught a glimpse of tears in his eyes as he passed them and could see Sashir's eyes well up as Lenari approached him. Lenari threw his arms around Sashir who didn't seem able to retaliate. Rotabu stood from his position and hugged them both. The room stayed quiet and Kale was getting a stronger sense of the bond Daorans shared with each other. Anubis hovered to the projection of the implant and seemed to absorb the data. Elara stayed and talked with Kale and Kershala. "Doctors Sona and Tashi are the top implant specialists on the ship, they're the only reason we have made any progress at all. I'm not sure that we are going to get anymore of him back though."

"Anubis might be able to figure it out eventually, though right?" said Kale. "Once we get more information on how it works."

"I do not know how much time we have. There has never been another Daoran put into this condition before." Elara started once again looking over her monitor, Kale watched as information scrolled in Daoran writing on her screen. "I will have to pass over my research to the head of research in a few hours. In the meantime, I want to compile a complete report on his condition. You guys may stay a few more minutes, but you must leave."

"Thank you, Elara. I wish you luck for all of our sakes," said Kershala. Kale knew if they didn't find a treatment that every Daoran soldier was at risk of falling victim to these weapons. It likely wouldn't be long before they were deployed on a massive scale. "If you wish I can have Anubis stay and collect data on the damage done. It will be able to detect any patterns that may be occurring due to the damage."

"That would be greatly helpful," said Elara surprise clear in her voice and her eyes wide. Kershala looked at the AI and nodded.

"Understood Kershala," said Anubis. Kale walked over to Lenari who was now sitting on the bed holding Sashir's hand. He could see that the emotion of the first few minutes seemed to calm and Lenari was sitting and talking to Rotabu. Sashir's eyes seemed to follow him as he approached.

"How're you feeling Rotabu?" asked Kale.

"Helpless. But hopeful. I know that Elara is working as hard as she can. But also, with Doctor Sona here," Rotabu paused. Kale could tell that he was emotionally exhausted from the whole ordeal. "The greatest minds on the Typhonus are here to look after my Sashir. He is in good hands."

"Don't give up hope. Anubis is going to stay the night and take some readings hopefully it will get something useful." Kale tried to be reassuring.

"Lenari, Kale we must go and let the doctors work," said Kershala walking up beside Kale. "Rotabu, I would be honored if you would accompany us on the mission we face ahead." Rotabu looked up at Kershala through very tired eyes although Kale could see a determination in him that seemed renewed.

"I will be there. Sashir's life may depend on our success," he said standing from his position beside the bed. Lenari didn't seem to be paying attention until Rotabu put a hand on his forearm. "Lenari, you must go home and rest. I will be there once Elara finishes up her report."

Kale and Kershala left the hospital via the public transport pod and were taken back to the living quarters. Lenari had gone back to his own place to rest with the thought of maybe meeting up later. They walked through the door and no sooner had the automatic door slid shut that Kershala walked quickly into another room. Kale took it in before following him, the place was bigger than his apartment had been and mostly open concept he could tell a kitchen and living room were right in front of him as he walked through the door and sat the case he had been carrying beside the door. The kitchen had a table and seating area protruding from the walls which were draped in fancy paintings, one of which Kale somehow recognized as Yaria. The food processing alcove Kale had seen on the ship was also in one corner and protruded from a wall where there was an active fountain. It took a second for Kale to realize that the walls of the entire place seemed to be changing in color only faintly, but it looked a good deal like water covered them and ran from the ceiling into the floor in a very elaborate decorative display. The pictures seemed to hover in place just off the wall. He took a step in and in what he would compare to the living room or common area had a larger seating unit attached to the wall with no legs holding it up. From looking Kale guessed it would likely seat five people comfortably. On the wall opposite there was an interface that Kale was sure he wouldn't be able to use but judged from the position in the room it might be some kind of virtual entertainment interface and in another part of the room was a holographic computer interface.

"Kale come in here!" Kershala called from the other room. Kale smiled and quickly followed his voice. They were both happy to finally get some real alone time. As Kale stepped into the room it was clear it was a bathroom, Kershala had already jumped into the bathing station his cloths on the ground in front of the large spacious unit in the corner. There was a large tub in the center of the room filled with some sort of clear jelly, there was a light underneath that caused it to appear as a teal color. What Kale assumed would be the toilet and an elaborate looking sink was in the opposite corner of the unit Kershala had made his way into. "I was so excited to get in a real sonic resonator I could barely wait to get back here. Come here you have to try it." Kershala seemed to have a certain child like innocence about him when he was excited that Kale had only seen once or twice. Kale smiled as he stripped down and walked into the unit that was more than big enough for the two of them. "Okay stand still, this is going to feel wonderful." Kershala must have triggered the machine with his implant as Kale felt a strange calming sensation all over his body. It was much more comfortable then the one they used on the Arktora's ship. "See. I have not felt this clean in ages." Kale laughed to himself and ran his hands through his hair, he wasn't sure how to shower with sonic vibrations. Kale couldn't help but think again that this was efficient but nowhere near as romantic as showering together the old fashion way. He looked at Kershala who stood with his head tilted back and eyes closed, he hadn't gotten to admire him at peace for quite some time and was thoroughly enjoying the view. The Daoran body was very similar to humans mostly from the waist up. Though if someone were to look as closely as Kale had the opportunity to, they would certainly see more. Since they had spent so much time on the run Kale hadn't been able to really take the opportunity to appreciate Kershala's physical differences. His torso was longer than any human Kale had seen, it would be more noticeable had his arms not matched. His arms hung roughly two inches longer than an average human and his hands while larger didn't seem to be miss proportioned. In his face aside from his pupils being larger than human his eyebrows were thinner and his eyes wider. Their skin had a smoother appearance than humans as they seemed to have less visible pores. Kershala's ears also came to a barely noticeable point that they all seemed to have. The Daoran bone structure though a little more defined in certain place was similar to a human. Kershala's chest and stomach was well defined apparently even by Daoran standards as none of the others he had met had been as in shape as Kershala. Kale looked at the markings at the base of Kershala's neck and followed them down his back admiring every muscle along the way. Kershala's buttocks were also very human and as Kershala turned to face him Kale was reminded that his sexual organ was one more of the few minute differences in the Daoran outward physiology. Everything seemed to be up only a few centimeters higher than it should be likely to make room for the extra opening underneath that Kale had found on their first sexual encounter. Kershala opened his eyes seemingly catching Kale's sudden lust that moved quickly through him.

Kale grabbed him and pulled him closer, so their bodies were pressed together. Kershala's warm skin giving Kale chills as their bodies connected. He wrapped an arm around Kershala's waist and pulled him into a kiss placing his other hand on the back of his neck. Kershala responded to his touch as his markings began to glow as they became more sexually synced. Kale pushed him back against the wall and they hit with a thud. Kershala brought his hands up to cradle Kales face and they stared into each other, Kershala's eyes grew wide and the light seemed to almost be reflecting in them. Kershala leaned into him and kissed him tenderly his warm wet lips almost sent Kale into a frenzy. He reached down and took his buttock in his hand giving him a solid squeeze.

"There's a full bedroom." Kershala smiled as he spoke and took Kale's hand sliding out from under him on the wall to the sonic resonator. He led Kale out of the room and into another room that connected to the bathroom. The bedroom had a large circular pod type bed in the center of it and Kershala fell backwards into it. The sheets seem to envelope him falling delicately into place on several key spots of his body. Kale crawled in on top of him kissing from his navel to his chest to the nape of his neck all the while causing Kershala to shift and react under the touch of his lips, before landing on his lips again. The lighting seemed to automatically dim but Kale knew Kershala had used his implant to control it. Kale had quickly become fully erect and was having a hard time controlling himself, it had been a long time since his has last release and Kershala was so hard for him to resist.

"How do I pleasure you?" asked Kale knowing if he didn't slow down, he'd explode.

"What do you mean?" Kershala whispered.

"Hm," Kale felt awkward but knew it would work out, "Look up oral sex in the data you collected on Earth." In a few seconds Kershala's expression changed from light confusion to seduction.

"I believe it is the same." Kale kissed the nape of his lovers' neck and followed it up to his ear, he tongued at his ear lightly causing Kershala's entire body to shiver beneath him. Kershala responded by tilting his head into him and Kale bit down lightly on his ear lobe, the fragrance of Kershala's person filled Kales nose causing him almost to lose control. Kale ran a hand up Kershala's chest and along his neck eventually resting in his hair. He carefully and forcibly grabbed his hair and pulled his head back to expose his neck, Kershala let out a light whimper as Kale dragged his lips down his neck. Kale was starting to lose himself in the act as a feral and eager presence seemed to be claiming him. He bit down on Kershala's unguarded nipple perhaps a little too hard causing him to flinch and his abdominals tighten and twitch. Kale moved some of the blankets out of the way and quickly made his way to Kershala's lower body and took him in his mouth his skin was sweet at first but gave way to salty taste. As he did Kershala took in a heaving breath and thrust himself forward going deeper down Kale's throat causing a slight discomfort at first, but Kale didn't care as he worked himself into a motion. He felt Kershala grab his hair and start to take control of him letting out short breaths and moans. Kale moved one hand to be around Kershala's neck and the other made its way down his body using his fingers to tease everything on the way down. Kale pulled back briefly to lick his fingers before pushing them gently into Kershala's now delicate body. He gazed into Kershala's eyes as he pushed passed the smooth skin Kershala's body went taut as he leaned slightly forward with his mouth hanging open in pleasure his breathing staggered and stopped off an on and Kale could see the light forming in his eyes. Kale leaned down and kissed Kershala's abdominal muscles before taking him again, this only lasted a few seconds before Kershala pushed him back. "No, not yet." He struggled between bated breath. Kale looked up at him following the markings up his body that had fully illuminated and as he met Kershala's glowing eyes he knew what he wanted. Kale pulled his fingers from his wetness and put Kershala's legs on his shoulders. "Take me," Kershala whispered before swallowing hard and catching his breath. Kale positioned himself and pressed himself against Kershala's yearning body, it easily let him in. The warmth of his body made it hard for Kale not to climax right away, but he was keeping himself under control wanting to enjoy the experience as much as possible.

"I love you," Kale whispered and leaned forward as he worked himself into a rhythm. Kershala met his gaze and brought his hands to his face he pulled him into a kiss. Something was different this time, as their lips met the world around them faded to blackness only their bodies existed nothing else. The light of Kershala's bioluminescence was the only thing Kale could see as he began to thrust ever deeper into his waiting body. The heat, the sweat and the passion electrified Kales senses everything was far more intense than he could have ever been ready for. Everything between them seemed so perfect as Kale began crashed into Kershala's body rougher than he had planned for. Kershala had arched his back and tilted his head backwards offering his neck. Kale leaned in and began to immerse himself fully in Kershala's scent while at the same time sucking on his neck. Kershala let out a whimper signalling that he was getting close and Kale let out a low growl that he had never heard come from himself before. He was becoming fully intoxicated with the act of love they committed. Kershala began to work with him as their rhythm synced in motion pulling him closer and closer, Kale could tell Kershala was seconds from climax when he looked up at him the light in his eyes flickering as he fluttered. Kershala's body began to tighten and Kale could feel him bare down on him as he welcomed the release, the sudden warmth that seemed to pulse through them both taking Kale to climax as well he thrust fast and hard at first before the weakness of release took him and he collapsed on Kershala. "Oh my god what was that?" He looked around and the light was slowly returning to the room, but their surroundings were very much a dizzy haze. He felt Kershala wrap his arms around him every sensation seemed to be intensified the warmth of Kershala's arms felt like fire, the silk sheets seemed to scrape at sensitive skin and the sound of his own breath seemed to hurt his ears. It was like his entire body had become sensitive after an orgasm something he didn't know was possible.

"I feel it too, Kale," Kershala whispered. Kale could feel Kershala's body twitching under him as well. "Our bond has grown stronger…" The two of them laid there soaked in sweat and breathing heavily. Kale couldn't seem to find the strength to move other than to roll to the side.

"It's so intense. Everything seems to be hypersensitive," Kale had felt the feeling before after sex but not his entire body. They laid both of them sprawled on the bed Kale laid there trying to make sense of the experience they just had. As he laid there, the dizzy feeling was starting to take over and the room was almost spinning. "Man, I don't know if I'm okay, everything is spinning. I feel dizzy." Kershala hoisted himself up on an arm, the effects didn't seem to be as intense for him most likely because his body was built for the bond.

"You will be okay just breath slowly," he said. I will get you a drink of something." Kershala stood up slowly and left the room. It didn't seem long before he came back with a glass in his hand. "Your nervous system has been hyper stimulated. It's not unlike when we are in Jadak'tora but because you are fully aware of our interaction it will be more intense." What Kershala was saying made sense as Kale thought it through, the only other time he could remember Kershala's markings lighting up was during the Jadak'tora.

"I feel like I'm having a bad trip." Kale hoisted himself up slowly realizing that the bed was quite wet where he laid. A combination of sweat and other bodily fluids made him slightly more uncomfortable. Kershala bent down and sat next to him passing him the glass that turned out to be just water. Kale took a small sip of it not wanting to risk being sick from the dizziness. The water tasted like it had been heavily filtered and was very clean. "Thank you." Kershala leaned in and gave him a peck on the cheek. His sense of touch seemed to be calming down as Kershala's skin felt normal on his.

"When you are feeling better, we should get cleaned up and maybe have something to eat." Kale nodded realizing how hungry he had been. He hadn't eaten since sitting the Sironia.

"Yeah let's get a bite, should probably wash the sheets too eh." Kale put his feet to the ground and stood up.

"Do not worry about it." Kale could tell that Kershala synced his implant with the interface on the bed as he put his hand to it. The base of the bed began to glow, and all the bedding vanished in a flash of light and was quickly replaced with new.

"Are you kidding me," Kale laughed. "That is really a waste of your technology." Kershala smiled as he left the room heading back to the bathroom. Kale stood up slowly feeling the dizziness subsiding and followed him.

They got cleaned up and ate something, Kale cut his hair with Kershala's help and they then decided it best to head to bed. The next day would start early and they wanted to be well rested for the coming mission. It really was a shame as Kale really wanted to be able to see the city ship a little more and maybe get to see more of the day to day life of the Daora. But it was best for them to be ready for the next day.


	24. Chapter 24

Kershala had slept the soundest he had slept probably in his adult life; he was surrounded for the first time in a safe familiarity that he had mostly gone without for years. Being surrounded by his own people was welcoming and comfortable. Just being able to live easy even if only for a few hours was a welcome change. Even since he had met Kale he had never really felt as safe as he did now. The Daoran resistance seemed to have their affairs in order and with him not looking to take over as their leader they were helpful. The weapon cache that Eshalaron had left him would prove to be invaluable.

After seeing the children and holding Adeoye' and helping him with the implant Kershala felt a renewed sense of duty. Without question he knew what he was fighting for and his determination was stronger than ever. He had stepped out onto the balcony overlooking the wards of the city ship. A warm wind blew across his back as he stood there in his undergarments and even though it was artificial it reminded him of home. The artificial lighting and atmospheric system were mimicking a sun rise on Yaria and the sight of it almost brought Kershala to tears as he stood taking it in. The warmth hitting his skin triggering memories of his room that overlooked the capital city. He let out a sigh as he looked back at Kale who still lay sleeping in the bed, the bed was positioned in such a way that all Kershala could see was a leg hanging over the edge of the bed. Kale wasn't used to the warmer temperature yet and had to spend most of the night uncovered. Kershala took a last look at the vista from the balcony and walked back inside. He knew they had to start getting on the move or they would be late for the departure. Kershala didn't really feel nervous about the upcoming task itself but nervous that he would be officially responsible for others on a mission for the first time. He mostly preferred to work alone, most of the Daoran's on the mission likely wouldn't be able to keep pace with him in combat and Kershala didn't want any unnecessary loss of life. He walked over to Kale and touched his face to wake him, he opened his eyes and smiled before kissing the palm of Kershala's hand.

"Good morning," he whispered.

"Good morning to you." Kershala met his gentle eyes and leaned down and kissed him. "It is time to get ready to go." Kale sat up on the corner of the bed and stood up quickly. After last night Kershala wasn't sure how he'd be feeling or if there would be any lasting effects from their bond. Kershala was nervous at first that there may have been some damage, but Kale seemed to shrug it off. As Kale stood up, he got dressed in the body suit they had found as it was still the most protective thing they had for him to wear until Kershala had time to design some type of body armor for him. Something he hoped to get into during their trip to their destination as he would likely have the time. Kershala stood and walked through the bathroom and went into the main living area. He proceeded to the food synthesizer and used it to create an energy supplement that would keep his body fueled for the next two days. A full mixture or proteins, fats and amino acids that he had learned to make from his patriarch when food was scarce. It was much more efficient than anything they could eat, using very different specifications he created a scaled down version for Kale as well and took it from the synthesizer. "Here drink this, it will get your body ready for the mission and make sure you're well fed." He passed the sixteen-ounce cup to Kale and he looked it over.

"What's it made of?" he asked.

"Do not worry, I checked the database before I programmed it. It will taste like chocolate." Kershala smiled as Kale's expression turned to that of surprise.

"What? Really?" Kershala beckoned for him to try the drink and Kale reluctantly took a sip of the liquid. "That's surprisingly familiar. It's really good." Kale smacked his lips a bit after the first sip as if sampling the flavour profile. "And really thick." Kale laughed before taking another bit of it.

"Drink it slowly. It has a very dense nutrient profile. Just bring it with you." Kershala picked his own drink up from the synthesizer and took a sip of it. His personal favourite flavor was of a fruit that grew on the home world. He wasn't sure if it even existed anymore, but the synthesizer knew what it was, so he'd always be able to have it. They walked to the exit with their drinks in hand and Kershala deployed the nanites, he decided to change the color profile to be more discreet while he was on the city ship. He still hadn't revealed who he was to the general populace yet and decided it best not to in the meantime.

"That's different," Kale commented noticing the difference right away as he picked up the case of medical nanites.

"Discretion," said Kershala as they exited the living quarters. They walked to the public transport system and Kershala signalled for a pickup. There were a couple of others standing at the pickup station, a young woman and her partner, Kershala could see they were eyeing Kale. "He is human. The Sol system." The women and her partner looked at Kershala and smiled.

"That's what the AI had said, I've never seen any of your people around before, I used to travel to different space stations quite frequently back in my service days," said the women. Kershala would have guessed the women to be well into her later adulthood stage.

"Um, no we actually aren't space fairing. I'm probably the only one out here right now," said Kale. Kershala could tell just saying it made it hit home for Kale that he was out in space and nowhere near his home planet. The transport pod showed up and all four of them stepped into it. Kershala and Kale sat down next to one another and the older couple sat across from the them.

"How did you get here then?" she asked. Kale smiled at Kershala.

"My friend here brought me out here. I didn't want to be left behind." Kershala smiled at Kale as he spoke and looked down at his feet.

"I see. Are you two heading to the docks as well?"

"Yes. We have a mission on the Sironia," answered Kershala.

"That is Atondra's ship. You are very lucky. She has always been such a great commander," said the women's companion. "A very high success rate."

"What do you two do at the docks?" asked Kale.

"We are part of the chief operating crew," he answered.

It wasn't long before they arrived at the dock where the Sironia was docked. They exited the pod and were standing in front of the airlock they had entered the Typhonus from. The chief operators stayed on the pod likely continuing on to the operations section of the docks. They were part of the team who guided the ships into the docking bay. The docking bay was open as they approached on foot. The AI had arrived at the same time with Rotabu and Lenari having spent the night taking analysis of Sashir's condition. It floated over to them ahead of the other two crewmen.

"Any change on Sashir's condition?" asked Kershala.

"No, but I believe we have gathered most pertinent data on his condition. The medical team will use it to devise a work around for his situation," explained Anubis. "Atondra and Omall are already on the Sironia, they will meet us at the command center." They approached the open bay area and proceeded back down the tunnel of the dock and entered the Sironia.

"Anubis do you know if they found anything useful on the Arktora's ship yet?" asked Kershala. He really wanted to know if they had made any more sense of what was in the ships database.

"There have been no major developments." They continued to the command center meeting Ralu and Zaree along the way. Lenari waited for them to catch up and now walked along with them as well. Ralu and Zaree had spent the entire trip back to the Typhonus on the Arktora's vessel and Kershala hadn't actually met them yet. Though he was sure that Ralu was the same soldier he incapacitated in their initial meeting on the bridge of the ship. They walked into the command center deck and met Atondra, Omall, Jelani and Elara. Atondra stood at her command position and the others were gathered around the aft stations, Kershala could tell the mission briefing was about to start.

"Everyone is here so we will get started. I will try to keep it brief as time is against us," Atondra started, her inflection showing concern. "As you have all read the report. Our mission is to destroy the Letracite refinery located in the Lorendar system. Anubis has discovered that the refined letracite is the main component of the neural disruption weapon that Sashir is suffering from and Ashal was lost to." Atondra lingered on the thought of Ashal and Sashir for a brief time. Kershala could tell it still weighed heavy on her. "The refinery is located in the Lorendar System one of the first systems we lost to the Shironian occupying forces. Currently it is thirty-six hours away at maximum velocity, because of the location we will be under a high likely hood of attack. To prepare for this the Sironia underwent a refit over night to upgrade our defensive capabilities; they have also added an integrated AI control so that Anubis may directly interface with the ships systems to allow for a quicker response time in combat." Atondra took a step down from her command post as she spoke. "During the trip I would like for Rotabu, and you Kershala to run drills so that the crew can be refined in the event that a boarding party finds it way on to the ship again." Kershala stood at attention at the mention of his name.

"I will gladly assist," he said.

"I thought you might," Atondra continued, "Once we arrive at our destination, we will have to evade the defense net that has been put in place. Because the Sironia is a small ship this will be easier, we have evaded their defense nets before, and it will be no different this time. As we get in teleporter range, we will send in a team consisting of Kershala, Rotabu, Lenari and Omall."

"I would like Kale to come along as well," Kershala interjected. He could tell that Atondra wasn't pleased with him, but she continued anyway.

"If you think it is wise for him to go along, I will leave his well being in your charge." Atondra stepped back to her command post before continuing. "We will be teleporting you into the waste management system where the security sensors are at minimal function. Our combat suits and Kershala's suit will be undetectable. You will need to proceed from there through the letracite mine. Anubis will you pull up the schematic, it is in the ships database?" The AI core hovered to the center of the room and activated a holographic projection of the facility. From the visual Kershala could tell the facility was incredibly large and would be easy to get lost in.

"This projection is based on intel that is one hundred years old. It is to be used as a proximation only. As new information is made available, I will be able to update it, but if we try to acquire new information through scans we will likely be detected. It is recommended that once you are aboard you acquire an updated map from a Shironian personal computer, it will like be found on a high-ranking officer," explained Anubis. "If they are using this refinery to create weapons you can expect to find that sections will be repurposed as laboratories and testing facilities."

"Once you find your way into the mining system you will likely encounter Daoran slaves."

"Slaves?" said Kale.

"Yes. You need to be prepared for the fact that we will not be able to save them, our ship simply does not have the resources and it is not the focus of our mission." The idea of leaving Daoran's behind to the Shironians disgusted Kershala he could feel a rage suddenly grow inside him. Kale rested a hand on his forearm. "I know Kershala, this is not something that any of us want to admit. Our mission is too important to risk it. We must focus on those we can still save. Think of the lives that could be lost so easily if these weapons go into mass production."

"I am well aware of the situation Atondra, but I do not have to like it!" he growled. Atondra nodded her head to him out of respect and continued.

"Once we confirm Anubis' suspicions as to the manufacturing of these weapons. You will proceed to the power core and destroy the facility in its entirety. We have brought neutronic explosives with us that may be timed to give the team time to escape. Any questions?"

"Do we know what to expect for Shironian resistance?" asked Omall.

"Due to how far it is inside occupied space and the fact it is not a military installation there is not expected to be a full regiment of soldiers, but there will be guards," Atondra answered.

"You should be prepared to face any number of the different Shironians. If this is an experimental weapons facility, there may be more than standard security. But also, if the Scientist is here, we could encounter far worse than the typical Shironian soldiers." Kershala looked around the room at each of those who would be accompanying him on the mission. He could see a certain steel in their eyes that reflected their determination and he knew that the team would perform as best as they possibly could, but he feared it may not be enough. The room fell quiet for several long seconds and the silence was broken by the communications chime.

"Sironia, you have been cleared for departure, may Zarai watch over you." The voice over the communication system was familiar as Kershala recognized the women they met on the transport pod.

"Everyone, take your stations," said Atondra turning to face the main viewer. "We hear you Typhonus." Jelani, Omall and Rotabu took their stations and Elara and Lenari left the command center. "Jelani once we clear the station lock in our destination and take us to maximum velocity. Rotabu engage the stealth drive."

"Yes Commander," said Jelani tapping in several commands on the holographic console she now sat at. Kershala watched through the main viewer as they pulled from the Typhonus, it was quickly out of site as Jelani brought the ship about and engaged the FTL drive. Kershala could tell that the ship was much faster without having to tow another vessel. As they broke the light barrier there was a bright flash of light and the ship was travelling at top speed.

"Rotabu, run a simulation on the new battle systems I want to make sure everything will be functioning properly when and if we engage the enemy," Atondra ordered. "Once you are finished the first drill will begin. Kershala I would have you do the next one later this evening."

"Certainly Atondra," said Kershala, "In the meantime I wish to make use of the armory. I am going to create a suitable body armor for Kale."

"It is the bottom deck; Anubis can access it for you." With that Kale and Kershala left the deck. Anubis stayed in the command center where it would integrate with the Sironia for the remainder of the mission.

"How are you going to create body armor for me?" asked Kale as they walked to the lift that would take them down to the armory. They had each finished the drinks Kershala had made them and put the cups in a disposal unit along the way to the lift.

"The armory has a chamber devoted to armor modification that will be greatly useful." The two of them stepped into the lift and the door shut behind them. The decent began and didn't take very long. It opened again to a small corridor leading to a double door. As Kershala stepped up to the door it recognized him and opened quickly as he expected it would. They walked into the fairly large open room, on one wall several different energy weapons were hung on display. Kershala recognized most of them but there were a few that were of a varied design. On the other wall the Daoran battle armor hung in contained chambers that would require authorization to open. In the middle of the room were several tables made for weapon modification where the weapons could be analyzed and modified using fabrication technology. Usually used for modifying weapons for use on particular missions. Beside it there was a clear fabrication chamber, Kershala could tell this was what he was looking for, using the nanites he would be able to use it to create an armor from scratch that would be suited for Kale to use in combat. "Over here." Kershala walked over to the console and interfaced with it using the implant. The glass chamber opened. Kale walked over and looked it over before looking at the console.

"What do you need me to do?" he asked. Kershala turned to face him and reached out taking his hand.

"I am going to use the nanites to take your body measurements. It is going to feel very strange, but you must be still for them to get an accurate reading," Kershala explained. Kale looked at him with an unsure look on his face. "You know I would never hurt you Kale."

"It's not that, just seems like a weird way to take measurements, but I guess it'll be as accurate as it can," Kale smiled. "Go ahead." The nanites in Kershala's suit began to travel from the suit itself down his arm and enveloped Kale's body. He knew that Kale could feel them crawling on him, but he was remaining very still none the less. They slowly spread across his body, Kershala could feel them taking information on his body as they travelled. They began crawling up his neck and Kale lifted his head seemingly instinctively.

"You will be able to breath," said Kershala. With that Kale adjusted and lowered his head back to a resting position and closed his eyes as the nanites crawled up his neck and encased his whole body. He was encased only briefly before the nanites started their journey back to Kershala's suit.

"That was definitely weird," Kale laughed and Kershala smiled with him as he turned his attention back to the console. Kale leaned in close and watched him inputting information into the station, Kershala could feel his breath on his neck. "You really think it'll be okay for me to come along on this mission?"

"Yes, unless you wish to stay on the ship," For the first time Kershala could see doubt in Kale's resolve. "Kale I trained you in a very specific type of combat, with this suit you will be able to fully utilize that training."

"If you're sure. I just don't want to get in the way." Kale rested his chin on Kershala's shoulder and put an arm around him.

"I want you to be by my side for this mission. I know that when I see those Daoran slaves…" Kershala paused and could feel Kale squeeze a little tighter. "I want you to be there to keep me grounded."

"If you need me, I'm there." Kale kissed him on the cheek as he finished inputting the information on Kale's body measurements. Kershala smiled at Kale before walking up to the chamber and releasing the nanites into it. The door to the chamber shut and several fabrication units descended inside of it. "Is that what's going to build it?"

"Yes, the nanites will construct the armor out of a metallic mesh," Kershala walked back to the console where Kale stood and activated the machine. "It should have extensive impact defense and will take heavy energy weapon fire."

"Cool. Will it have one of those nifty cloaking devices, they were using when they found us?" asked Kale a certain awe lingering in his voice.

"They are not useful against Shironians, those devices work with a technology that is based around the refraction and reflection of light. Most of the Shironians can see that part of the spectrum. We may implement it later if the mission calls for it though." They watched for a few seconds as they fabrication device and the nanites began constructing the armor.

"Well that's really disappointing. I guess it could never just be easy huh?"

"It usually is not." Kershala checked the machine and scanned the progress with his implant. "It is going to take approximately sixteen hours for the construction process to complete due to the complexity of the materials used, we should rejoin the crew for Rotabu's drill shortly."

"Sounds good let's head back up." They headed back to the main deck of the ship leaving the nanites to construct the body armor. As they stepped off the lift and into the main hall Anubis activated their private com channel.

"Kershala, I wish to speak with you regarding your growing connection with Kale," it said. "It would be best to have the discussion alone."

"Kale go to the lab and have Elara and Lenari show you how to use the scanning equipment," said Kershala, "it will be useful during the boarding mission. I need to speak to Anubis about the mission."

"Okay, that's not a bad idea. I'll see you in a bit." Kale smiled and leaned in kissing Kershala before walking toward the lab. Kershala proceeded to the private quarters they had used during their first stay on the Sironia he walked in and the door sealed behind him.

"I have analyzed your vitals from your most recent interaction with Kale," Anubis continued over the private channel even though it didn't seem necessary, "The results are alarming."

"In what way?" Kershala was concerned even though he was preparing himself for another lecture of how he shouldn't be with Kale.

"It would seem as though your connection has become much deeper than either of you seem to understand, Kershala. I do not know if Kale is aware of it, but I know that you have felt it several times from the readings I have gathered from your body." Kershala sat down on the bed and waited as the AI seemed to pause. "I fear you are reaching the point of no return. You must stop this before it is too late. You endanger both you and Kale with your recklessness. The connection that is forming within the two of you may have unforeseen harmful effects on Kale's brain."

"This conversation is over," said Kershala standing to leave.

"During your last interaction Kale's parietal lobe was hyper stimulated almost to a point that could have caused damage. The link you are developing is what caused this. Kershala I am not talking about your relationship, I am talking about the Daoran biochemical response to bonding with someone. The human brain has not been tested toward it. At this point there is no way to say what effect a separation may have on either of you." Kershala stood at the doorway to the room breathing heavy, even with what the AI was saying he couldn't leave Kale. Even if it was selfish, he didn't care, he wanted to be selfish for a change.

"Anubis, please use your downtime to find a solution to this problem. I cannot be without him; for now, I know we will never be separated," said Kershala.

"I have been analysing the data but so far it is in the preliminary stages. There may not be a solution. In the meantime, Kershala I beg that you try to limit your sexual contact, as this seems to be what makes the connection stronger." Kershala looked down at the floor not wanting to hear any of what the AI was saying. He would at least try to refrain himself, though for now at least it shouldn't be that hard to avoid considering the circumstances they were currently wrapped up in. The door opened and Kershala let out a sigh as he exited the room.


	25. Chapter 25

Kale held the scanner in his hand. The device was quite familiar to him as he had seen it used a couple of times and after spending the last eight hours with Lenari and Elara trying to teach him how to use it he was at least familiar with basic function. The device itself was about six inches long with the five-and-a-half-inch screen making up most of it. It was fairly lightweight but heavier than you'd expect most likely because it was meant for a Daoran not a human. It only had a button on the side and one on the bottom. Kale laughed a bit when he first held it thinking it reminded him of the latest smartphone that had launched this year back on earth. It was definitely much more powerful though, the processors used in it were microscopic in nature but there were more than two hundred of them present in the device. It gathered information several ways, a large sensor lens that ran across the top of it that would emit different wave types able to penetrate most materials, on the back just below that a rectangular space that resembled a speaker would take information from the air and relay it back through the processors and it could hold up to an exabyte of information if disconnected from the ships computer for an extended period. Elara had left some time ago to get something to eat and to rest a bit as she had been up late with Sashir's doctors back on the Typhonus but he and Lenari had been hard at work.

"So just so that I'm clear, when this turns green and these figures line up it means it's found a life sign?" Kale held the device toward Lenari and pointed to a line of symbols and code. Kale was pretty sure he had gotten a good understanding of the device considering it wasn't in a language he could read; but the most important function he figured he'd be using the scanner for was life signs on this mission as he knew Lenari and Omall would handle anything more complicated than that.

"Yes exactly," said Lenari smiling. "You know Kale I'm surprised you picked this up so quick. When I was learning this, it took me a couple days to be able scan for life signs."

"Well, honestly it's probably because this is super exciting for me. To you it's probably like homework or a job you do because you have to. For me…" said Kale thinking once again about how this was still all beyond his wildest imagination, "It's hard to put into words what it's like." Kale paused in thought briefly. "Think of the craziest thing you would want to do that's outside the realm of what you consider to be possible and then imagine doing it. And that's all this for me."

"I guess I still do not think of the fact that all of this is brand new and so out of the ordinary for you," said Lenari. Kale sat the scanner on the nearby table feeling good about his ability to work the device. He wanted to be as useful as he could be when they boarded the Shironian facility, something he couldn't help but be nervous about.

"The combat drill will now begin." A voice sounded over the communication system and suddenly the lights went down to emergency lighting. Kale and Lenari stood up and Lenari passed Kale the designated weapons they would use for the drill before taking one for himself. This was Kershala's drill and they had no idea what he would have in store for them. Kales eyes were slowly adjusting to the low light when a light flashed behind them. Kale turned and didn't hesitate to fire the weapon twice a beam of light fired from the weapon hitting what turned out to be a Shironian soldier and missing the second shot, there were two of them. Lenari turned to fire his weapon but was disarmed by what they knew was a hologram. Kale watched as Lenari ducked a shot from the soldier's weapon which in reality was harmless but couldn't get a clear shot. They both knew they had to act like this was a real combat situation, Lenari tripped the hologram and as it hit the ground brought his two fists down on its chest. The creature vanished.

"Lucky it was just the little ones," said Kale. "Come on we have to secure the command center." They headed out of the lab and into the main corridor to find Ralu grappling with one of the larger soldiers and Zaree on the ground incapacitated. As they left the lab three more soldiers were teleported in. Kale fired twice once hitting the soldier Ralu grappled with and once hitting one of the new soldiers. Lenari fired at the others as they both dived for cover.

"Ralu, get Zaree we will cover you!" called Lenari, looking from around his cover. The newer soldier fired on him and he managed to duck out of the way of the beam. Kale took a shot but missed before Lenari finished the last one as Ralu got Zaree into cover. The whole ship was suddenly quiet as the last one was dealt with and the two of them rushed to Ralu and Zaree.

"She took a hit, I was too slow," said Ralu frustrated with himself. He sat Zaree into a sitting position against the wall, she was bleeding. Kale wasn't sure how they were doing this, but he knew everything they would see during the drill would be faked somehow. "Lenari see if you can stop the bleeding." Lenari took out his scanner and grabbed a med kit from a nearby emergency station just as four more of the soldiers were teleported in. "We will cover you." Ralu's weapon was a wrist mounted energy weapon. He fired it several times, but the soldiers managed to get into cover before returning fire.

"Be careful, time your shots," said Kale almost having a flashback to his previous fire fight in this very position. He looked beyond his cover but because of the low light he couldn't quite see his target. He knew the second he fired it would give away his position. He only could see movement in the dark. He looked around at his immediate surroundings, Lenari was tending to the wound in Zaree's chest using the medical kit. "Do you need anything else from the kit?" he asked as two more energy beams hit above them.

"No," said Lenari focusing on his job.

"Good." Kale grabbed the kit and threw it at the attackers remembering that the Shironians could see better in the dark then he could. They fired at the movement and as they did both he and Ralu jumped from cover and fired on the soldiers downing two of them. Another beam just managed to miss Kale before he took cover again. "Close call." The beams were now coming at them constant and they were pinned down. Kale wasn't sure how to get through the scenario without retreating into the command center.

"Lenari, give me your weapon," said Ralu. Lenari seemed to have stabilized Zaree but was running scans to make sure. He tossed his weapon to Ralu and went back to what he was doing. "Is she going to be okay?"

"Yes, but this wound is particularly complicated for just a single shot," said Lenari confused. Ralu took the weapon and began to tap away at the interface on it.

"What are you doing?" asked Kale.

"Triggering the weapon to overload, it will explode in a few seconds once I throw it at them." The weapon began beaming and Kale could hear a buzzing sound that got louder and louder as Ralu pressed the buttons signalling what Kale was sure was an energy spike. "Stay in cover," he whispered putting his back to the box he was leaning against. Kale did the same as Ralu threw the weapon overhead, Kale could hear it clang to the ground before there was a flash of light and noise like a flashbang had gone off. Kale tried to look beyond the cover, but the flash blinded him. "They are gone! Let's get into the command center." Kale hesitated when Ralu stood up half expecting him to get hit but nothing happened. Lenari picked up Zaree and held her in his arms as they entered the command center. The command center was fully lit but as they entered Rotabu had just put down one of the larger Shironians. Jelani fired on another that seemed to be trying to access one of the consoles and Atondra came up behind another and broke its neck.

"We have secured the bridge with a dampening field," said Atondra. "Omall needs help in engine room." Atondra walked over and took Zaree from Lenari and sat her down along one of the consoles. "We will take care of Zaree, Rotabu take them and go to the engine room."

"Can you activate a dampening field around the main corridors?" asked Ralu.

"Once main power has been restored Omall can do it once you secure the engine room." Kale thought that Atondra's orders seemed rather scripted but likely because she was playing along knowing the situation was due to the drill. "Now go!" Rotabu stepped back from his console and grabbed a weapon from under his station before heading out the door.

"Come now," he said as he walked by them. They exited the command center and the doors were sealed behind them, they moved quickly toward the lift leaving Kale wondering how it was going to work with no power.

"Is there going to be power on the lift?" he asked.

"Yes, emergency power keeps the lift functioning," said Lenari. Lenari hit the call button and Kale thought it was strange the lift was on the bottom deck in the armory.

"Remember that once we are down there, you must be very careful not to hit the engine core. Exposure to any of our weapons would cause a containment breach," explained Rotabu checking his weapon. Kale wasn't sure if Rotabu meant the weapons they were using or if he meant it should it be a real scenario. He recalled they had used real weapons in the engine room during the last attack. Thinking back had he known he wouldn't have risked it. As the lift doors open two soldiers were present and hoisted their weapons to open fire. "Look out." Rotabu body checked Kale out of the way and Ralu grabbed Lenari throwing him from harms way. Rotabu managed to quickly finish them off firing in quick succession. The weapon he used seemed to be more pulse based allowing for faster fire.

"Close call." Kale coughed and stood up slowly, Rotabu had knocked the wind out of him. "Appreciate the save." Lenari walked over and did a quick scan with the medical scanner.

"Is he okay?" asked Rotabu as they stepped into the lift.

"He is fine, just lost his breath." Lenari patted Kale on the back as his breath seemed to be coming back to him. The lift doors closed, and they were on their way to the engine room. It wasn't a long ride, but Kale noted it was moving slower than normal due to emergency power settings. As they drudged to a stop the four of them slid to the side behind the thin bit of wall that formed the doorway. To their surprise it was clear, and they swiftly stepped off the lift Rotabu took point with Kale and Lenari in tow and Ralu bringing up the rear. As they approached the entrance to the engine room Kale wasn't sure what to expect, the sudden memory of Ashal sprawled on the floor seemed to hit him from nowhere but he shook it off and they kept going.

"Should we even risk the weapons?" he asked.

"Only if you are sure of the shot. They will likely not risk firing their weapons here." Kale held the weapon in hand as the doors opened when suddenly Ralu grunted he seemed to be the only one that heard it. Kale swung around just see Ralu's body fall from the ceiling a heavy thud following.

"What the hell was that?" Kale pointed his weapon and the others had already turned around hearing the thud. Kale could feel his heart racing he knew it was a drill, but it was all way too real for him. Kale had a hard time not rushing to Ralu's side, he wasn't moving, and he figured it would be too dangerous to just go to him. He pointed his weapon at the ceiling since the body had fallen and waited for some type of movement. He could feel the tension in his forearm from holding the weapon tightly.

"We aren't alone," Lenari whispered. The floor creaked and Kale was startled he fired the weapon the light from the beam showing that there was nothing there. Kale felt something move quickly by him and instinctually extended his arm to stop it but seemed to miss it. Rotabu caught whatever it was with his weapon hitting it with the butt of it. It staggered and suddenly became visible, it was a new type of Shironian Kale hadn't seen yet, Lenari seemed to be stunned by the sight of it. Grey skinned with a humanoid shape and face, it was taller than the others but not as large as the biggest ones Kale had already seen, it was dressed in a sleek oil black armor that seemed to reflect even the smallest bit of light, its nose less face and beady eyes seemed to stun even Rotabu before he took to fighting with it. Kale watched as the older Daoran forced the creature into a wall, he could still see the surprise in his face as the creature walked its feet up the wall and repelled itself back sending both of them crashing to the ground. "Rotabu!" Lenari yelled and tried to jump into combat but the Shironian back kicked him from on top of Rotabu. Lenari crashed into the wall telling Kale he had been hit hard. Rotabu managed to throw the creature off of him and get to his feet but made the mistake of going for his weapon, the Shironian soldier was on him before he could raise the weapon up again. Kale ran to Lenari's side to make sure he was alright as Rotabu fought the creature taking hit after hit. Rotabu was managing to get in several hits as well but the attacker was faster than he was. Kale took Lenari's weapon and turned around.

"Rotabu get out of the way!" he yelled. Rotabu jumped away from the creature and Kale fired with both weapons several times landing their mark. Instead of falling to the ground the creature was teleported out. "What the hell was that thing? Why were you so stunned by it?" he asked helping Rotabu to his feet. Lenari had gotten to his feet after recovering from the impact.

"That was a Shironian Wraith, we have not seen them since we fought on the home world. They are thought to be a very small part of the Shironian population," explained Rotabu. "We must proceed to the engine room and then secure the armory." The doors to the engine room hung open as they entered Omall walked over to them.

"I heard the scuffle outside, I'm glad you're okay," he said. "I didn't want to risk losing the engine room, so I sealed the door to anyone but the crew."

"You need to restore main power and activate the dampening field," said Rotabu. Omall walked over to his workstation and began using the interface the power in the room came back on.

"The rest of the ship will take a few more moments, but it should be okay. I have activated the dampening field for the rest of the ship." Omall walked over to another of the stations on the wall. "I am however getting a proximity alert from the armory. They must have been there before we got the field activated."

"Are you okay, Lenari?" Rotabu looked at Lenari who was resting against the wall and bent forward cradling his abdomen.

"I'll be fine, the impact just hit pretty hard." Kale walked over to him and helped him stand up straight, hoping to help him administer medical attention.

"Omall, do you have a med kit?" asked Lenari straining and breathing heavy.

"I think you better stay here; Kale and I can deal with the intruder." Kale looked at Rotabu, caught off guard at the comment, he wondered if he had proven himself enough in combat to warrant the older man's respect. At the same time the simulation was starting to fray at his nerves and the more people around him the better he thought he would feel. He looked at Lenari who was struggling to stay upright and realized it was probable that the two of them would go it alone.

"You are probably right." Lenari put his back against the wall and slid down into a sitting position. "I'm sorry Rotabu."

"It is okay," Rotabu checked his weapon before walking over to him. "Kale come with me." Kale and Rotabu exited the engine room and the door sealed behind them, as they came to the smaller part of the corridor Ralu's body was gone and Kale wasn't sure what that meant. The main power had come back on and the corridors were at least well lit. They entered the lift and Kale couldn't help but think it was a bad idea to use it since whatever was waiting for them would be alerted to them coming when the lift activated. Rotabu activated the lift and after only a few seconds Kale stopped it before it opened. "What are you doing?"

"Is it really a good idea to take the lift down?" he asked. "Anything down there is going to know we are coming." Rotabu smiled at him and sat his weapon on the ground.

"Very good human," Rotabu took a panel from the side of the lift that led to a small crawl space. "We will take the maintenance tunnel." Rotabu attached his weapon to his back and crawled into the tight tunnel. Once able, Kale followed him in, and they crawled for about fifty feet before Rotabu stopped. They had made it to a vent with light coming through the cracks. "This will take us right above the armor modification chamber." Rotabu positioned himself getting ready to dislodge the panel.

"Can you see any of them before you take that off?" asked Kale trying to get close enough to take a look through.

"They are in the far corner looking at the weapon loadout. There are two of them, it should be a simple means of disabling them." Rotabu unlatched the panel almost silently, he unholstered his weapon and dropped down firing on them as he fell. He managed to hit one of them the other diving for cover behind a crate. Kale followed suit and jumped down while opening fire, at the very least he hoped to make himself less of a target by keeping them supressed as he fell. Rotabu bounded from his position getting to a higher position firing his weapon at the soldier. Kale rolled to be behind a crate and positioned himself resting his elbows on the crate trying to get a wide angle of the room. Rotabu walked to the area the soldiers had fallen and the room seemed to be clear. Kale breathed a sigh of relief just as a thud hit the ground behind him. He felt his heart skip a beat as he and Rotabu both whipped around but before he could fire his weapon the Wraith had grabbed him.

"Get away from me!" Kale screamed as he began kicking and fighting. The creature squeezed him tighter and he couldn't get away from it. It wasn't long before a familiar buzzing ran over his body. He could tell he was being teleported. As the teleporter finished taking him to where he was going, he continued to fight, whatever held him was now behind him and there was suddenly a familiarity there. He figured as long as he drew breath he'd fight on. He rammed an elbow into the flesh behind him, but it was like hitting a metal wall.

"Kale!" he thought he heard Lenari's voice, but everything seemed to be muffled he figured it would be the after effect of the teleporter. Kale brought a foot down on his captor's foot as hard as he could before seeming to break from his arms. Kale attempted to draw his weapon, but it was gone as he turned around Kershala was standing there in his full suit.

"Kale it is okay, the drill is over." Kershala took a step toward him and Kale backed off almost not sure what was real anymore.

"I…" Kale was having a hard time processing the scenario, it had been too real, he figured the Daoran crew ran simulations like this frequently to get ready for missions but he couldn't tell the difference as to what was real and what was fake. He didn't have the luxury of an implant to use to scan and tell the difference. "What the fuck?" Kershala's helmet fed into his implant revealing his face and he took another step forward with an empathetic look on his face. He pulled Kale into an embrace and Kale couldn't help but start to hyperventilate.

"I think your simulation might have been too real," Elara said from behind him. Kershala turned them so that Kale would be able to look where her voice came from. Elara was scanning him with a scanner. "Just calm down Kale it was all fake." Kale began to slowly realize that Ralu, Zaree and Lenari were in the room and were not showing any injury.

"How did you make it so real?" he asked as he wiped the tears from his eyes. Lenari walked up to them and hugged them both.

"This was a lot more than a normal drill," Anubis voice came from the com system, "With my integration I am able to project holographic images throughout the ship. Therefore, with a combination of our knowledge of the Shiran, the teleporters and our most recent experience with the Shironian boarding party I was able to create a full extrapolation of how they might attack. The Wraith was Kershala the hole time using a holographic disguise." Kale looked back at Kershala and hugged him as tight as he could not wanting to let go.

"Why couldn't I feel our bond?" With the closeness Kale could feel Kershala's apology and compassion, he was unaware of how much he really needed to feel it until he did.

"It had to be supressed so you would not be able to tell it was me," said Kershala. Kale let out a sigh as he started to collect himself recovering from the shock of what he had experienced. He turned to look at Ralu and Zaree.

"You guys aren't really hurt? Ralu when you went down, I wanted to go to you so bad," he said.

"It is okay. Once I was grabbed, I was teleported here, not even a scratch," Ralu smiled and gestured to his body. "So good as new." Kale felt a rush of relief come over him as he stepped down from the teleporter panel. Atondra and the rest of the crew walked to through the main door.

"You all did very well, though far too many casualties for a successful mission," she said.

"This was a particularly vicious drill though to be fair," Omall laughed. "Kershala this was brutal."

"I want those of you on the boarding party to go get some rest. You will need to be ready for what comes ahead of us," said Atondra. Kale felt more mentally exhausted then physically but more than welcomed the down time. He and Kershala walked from the room, Lenari, Rotabu and Omall followed and retired to the crew quarters. Kale and Kershala walked to their quarters staying silent.

"Kale I am so sorry," Kershala spoke as soon as the door closed.

"It's okay Kershala, really, I just wasn't expecting it to be so intense." Kale walked in and sat on the bed. "It was more intense then the real attack from yesterday." Kershala walked toward the bed and recalled the nanites before sitting down, he was wearing a tight fitted jump suit.

"You will have more protection next time we face them together." Kale was doing his best to shrug off the event he had just been through.

"Kershala are you sure I should go with you? After this I don't know if I'm suited to the type of combat we're going to be dealing with."

"You performed better than most of the crew did Kale. If they are suited for it then you are."

"I'm not really a soldier though." Kale was proud that he ranked so well he figured his reflexes were a combination of his training with Kershala and as a security guard but also after years of gaming his response time had always been good; and the more he thought about it the more he thought he needed to go on the mission. These people were supposed to be watching Kershala's back when they boarded, and he couldn't help but feel like he couldn't trust them to keep him safe. "Forget I said anything, just my nerves getting me, I guess. There's no way I'm letting you go there without me." Kale thought for a minute that he may as well use the time to learn something. "Kershala why is there so many different types of Shiran? I think we've seen four counting that Wraith thing. Have you ever fought one of those before?" he asked. Kershala sat down on the bed next to him.

"I have helped Yailar fight one when I was much younger. But only one. They are very rare, they usually lead the attack units," he explained. "As far as why they all look so different, we have never been able to find out why. We do not know if they originate from the same home world or if the other races were united under the Shironian Empire."

"Is it likely that they evolved on the same planet? That doesn't seem likely." Kale pondered the different Shironian's he had seen. The human sized ones in full plated armor, the same ones Kershala fought as he escaped the planet in the first ever memory Anubis showed him. The large brute sized ones that didn't seem to wear actual armor but had armor plates on their large bodies, their faces were slightly humanoid but more saurian. The fast ones that seemed to resemble something that a dinosaur might evolve into if given the chance, they were the ones Kale had fought the most they seemed to be better with firearms and now the Wraiths.

"We do not know for certain Kale. You might want to converse a bit with Anubis regarding this next time you have a chance," Kershala pressed his lips to Kale's forehead, "You should get some rest. I am going to check and see how the armor construction is coming along. I will wake you in the morning so that we may get you suited up." Kershala stood up and walked to the door caressing Kale's face as he passed.

"Okay. I'll see you after." Kale found it weird that Kershala didn't stay with him but knew he also wanted to make sure that he had protection for the mission ahead of them. He laid down on the bed and tried to take a nap. At one point he woke up to Kershala getting into bed with him he remembered putting his arm around him and pulling him in close to him resting his face firm to the back of Kershala's neck. The next he knew the ship jolted as they dropped out of FTL and he sat up, he was sure a full night's sleep had passed and maybe a little bit more. He wiped the sleep from his eyes and put his feet to the floor, Kershala still slept on the bed and Kale had a rare moment of being the one to wake up first. He stood up and looked through the window, they seemed to be in a small solar system with a large red star at the center of it. There was only a single planet visible to the naked eye and they seemed to be moving through an asteroid field. "Anubis what time is?" he whispered.

"Approximately 10 A.M. by the chronometer you are used to. We will be beginning our approach through the detection grid shortly," Anubis spoke quietly.

"Thank you. Should I get him up?" Kale looked back at Kershala who still slept peacefully.

"Yes." Anubis spoke but soon after Kale could tell that they were alone. He walked over to the bed and sat down next to Kershala and touched his face slowly. It had been a long time since he woke him through the implant, and Kale couldn't help but think back to the first time he woke him on purpose. That first time Kershala opened his eyes and reached up and touched his he knew he was already in love and to think now where it had taken him. The ride of his life and it wasn't over. He touched his for-finger just behind Kershala's ear and sure enough he opened his eyes. Kershala sat up quickly and smiled before kissing him.

"Good morning," said Kale. "Anubis says we're almost at the detection grid. The ship just dropped out of FTL."

"Then we are on schedule, come your armor will be done, we must get you into it," said Kershala. He got up off the bed quickly and took Kale's hand leading him toward the door.


	26. Chapter 26

Kale could feel his heart racing and wasn't sure if it was because of the mission or because he was excited to try this armor. They took the lift down to the Armory and walked through the door to see Omall and Rotabu checking over the equipment they would use during the mission. They had everything laid out on a table beside them. Kale recognized the scanners and side arms but there were a couple of weapons that he hadn't seen before. Both of the men were in full body armor with the exception of their helmets.

"Gentlemen," Kale greeted them on sight. Omall smiled and Rotabu nodded before holstering an odd shaped blade to his back.

"So that body armor is something you're constructing, Kershala?" said Omall.

"Yes, it is for Kale. Human bodies are not as resilient as the Daora. They need additional protection," explained Kershala as he walked to the console controlling the armor modification unit. Kale could see the nanites buzzing in the bottom of the glass tube on the floor.

"That's a shame, Kershala. I feel like you may be missing out." Omall smirked at his own comment and Kershala didn't seem to get what he was saying though Kale caught the drift quite quickly.

"There's been no complaints so far," Kale laughed.

"Well if you are as ferocious in the bedroom as you are on the battlefield…" Omall continued.

"Omall that's enough," said Rotabu looking over his rifle. Omall smiled at Kale as he scanned over the equipment on the table. Kershala smirked discreetly at Kale before operating the console in front of him. The door to the chamber opened and Kershala walked up to it and collected the nanites before he picked up the armor. He brought it to a nearby table and Kale joined him.

"I hope to be joined to someone someday who makes me an amazing suit of body armor," Omall commented. Kale hadn't really had a chance to be in a casual setting with Omall yet and he already liked him. He hadn't seen much of the sarcastic funny side of the Daora and he was refreshing to be around.

"Man after my own heart," said Kale. "Alright so how do I get into this thing." To Kale's surprise the armor seemed to be made of a flexible fibrous material resembling Kevlar the helmet sat beside the main base of it. He could see the small meshed patterns but there was also full plating in some parts of it.

"Pick it up," said Kershala.

"What?" Kale was caught off guard.

"Pick it up, see how it feels." Kale shrugged and picked up the armor it was lighter than he expected but still quite heavy duty. It seemed to be in two pieces. The material was cold and metallic to touch something else he didn't expect since it looked more like cloth.

"Feels good, I guess. How do I get it on?" Kershala took the piece from him and sat it on the table and passed him the other part. It seemed like a pair of pants with plates hanging around the legs.

"I wanted it to be familiar to you. It will go on right over you body suit."

"Okay then." Kale quickly fit himself into it and it seemed to be a little loose. "Is it supposed to fit like that?" Kershala picked up the top piece and passed it to him.

"Put this on and I will show you." Kale quickly slipped it on over his head suddenly reminded of getting dressed to go to school as a little kid putting on snow pants and a winter jacket. The armor was on and in place though everything still seemed loose. Kershala took Kale's hand and put it on a plate on the chest piece. "Tap here twice and stand up straight." Kale did as he was told and Kershala smiled as the armor began to tighten and fit to his body almost perfectly. It was a weird squeezing sensation at first but it slowly relaxed and Kale was able to breath and move normal. The suit reminded him of the compression gear he used to wear to the gym.

"That's something else," he laughed looking over himself.

"The nanites used your measurements to create it so it will allow you your full range of movement while in combat. Tapping the chest plate polarizes the plating in the titanium weave, energy taken right from your body heat is used to power it." Kale picked up the helmet and looked it over while Kershala talked. "You will notice that the armor plates are strategically position to protect your vital organs and body systems." Kale looked at the plates and noted their positioning around his abdomen and chest, forearms, and shoulders, as well as his crotch and legs were protected. His hands were also full gloved, the backs of his hands protected as well.

"Crazy. This is awesome Kershala."

"One more thing before you put the helmet on." Kershala picked up a weapon from the table Omall was working at and fired it at Kale three times in succession. Kale quickly shielded his face but was unable to really jump anywhere but back as he did two of the shots still landed. He thought it would hit him in the chest when an energy field came up and absorbed the blast.

"The hell are you doing?!" he yelled the surprise ever present in his voice.

"Kinetic shielding," Kershala said plainly.

"You couldn't have just told me what it was?" said Kale. "You still want him?" Kale looked over at Omall who just laughed, neither he nor Rotabu even seemed put off by the display.

"I had to show you, look at the read out on your left arm," Kershala instructed. Kale looked at the small four-inch display on his forearm, there were several numbers displayed there in English. "The blue one." The number Kershala directed him to was reading at seventy percent, after several seconds the number began climbing toward one hundred. "Its regenerative. As long as it doesn't fail completely it will replenish itself, in normal combat conditions." Kale just shook his head unable to think of anything other than the armor he had only seen in video games that was even remotely similar to this.

"What all will it block?" he asked.

"Anything energy based which includes all weapon projectiles and most types of shrapnel."

"What do these other numbers mean?" Kale walked over to Kershala and held up the display to him.

"The red is a reading of your vitals, blood-pressure, heartrate. The blue is the shielding as you've seen. The green is oxygen levels. Put on the helmet." Kale smiled before putting the helmet on, as it touched the base of his neck, he could feel it seal around the other piece of body armor. It had an air of familiarity about it that he wasn't really sure it came from. He could still feel the air from the outside coming through the face, he didn't feel crowded in it and could breath easily. There was a small visor around his eyes that lined up perfectly so he could see through and looked at Kershala. Kershala touched the side of the helmet and the mouthpiece sealed causing the suit to revert to oxygen reserves. Kershala gestured to his arm and he looked it over, the oxygen level displayed at ninety-nine percent. Kale looked back up at Kershala who had deployed his own suit in full. "Can you hear me?" he spoke. It took a second to realize that he could only hear Kershala, the helmet was a contained environment.

"Yes." He looked at Omall and Rotabu who were discussing something amongst themselves.

"Good, this is our private channel that I can activate voluntarily from my implant. They can't hear either of us right now."

"You really outdid yourself." Kale shook his head and smiled at him even though he didn't know if Kershala could see him.

"Locate the button on the right side of your helmet and you can switch it to allow you to hear around you. The helmet will automatically detect the air around you and if it is toxic or not to you and protect you from it. On the left side there is a comm link you can activate to talk on normal frequencies with the ship or Anubis for example. Touch the button around your jaw to unseal the mouthpiece." Kale used the function to unseal the helmet and to open the sound to his surroundings before taking the helmet off. "Also check the pouch on your hip." Kale looked down at his hip and could see the pouch he had brought from the Typhonus with the medical nanites present. The capacity had been reduced to four. "You can be my medic, since my suit doesn't allow for me to carry them conveniently."

"Okay, that's kind of what I expected to do anyway."

"I tried to give you enough with this armor to function as a watered-down version of my suit. It isn't as advanced, but you should find it quite effective against most Shironian weapons and soldiers. As long as you are careful." Lenari walked through the entrances assumedly reporting to get suited up.

"That armor looks protective," he said. "You can actually use some of that combat training you have now Kale."

"Using all along, it's just gonna be that much better now."

"Kershala please come to the command center, boarding team be ready for teleport in the next fifteen minutes," said Atondra. Kershala's helmet retracted as he headed for the lift with Kale behind him.

They walked onto the commander center to see that the entire crew had dawned the combat armor Omall and Rotabu had been setting up. Ralu was at Rotabu's usual station and Zaree had taken over for Omall. Elara was standing beside Atondra at the command station and Jelani was flying the ship. Kershala could see through the main view screen that the ships sensors had brought up an image of the mining station. They were entering the defense grid meaning that if everything went okay, they would be boarding the facility inside the next twenty minutes. The image changed to that of what was directly ahead of the ship.

"Was the intel accurate on the defence grid?" asked Atondra looking over at Zaree.

"It has not changed, the pattern we expected is intact. Jelani I will send you the pattern you will need to follow." Zaree tapped a few commands into her interface.

"I've got it, should I proceed Atondra?"

"Yes. Let's get this underway I do not wish to remain here any longer than necessary. Zaree drop our power output to decrease the detection radius. I don't want any room for error here." Atondra looked back at Kale and Kershala and acknowledged them silently.

"The good news is that if you do get detected you will have six seconds to correct it. The detection grid uses an alternating sensory algorithm," said Elara looking at the sensor overlay in front of her.

"What does that mean?" asked Kale.

"It will conduct sweeps with four different sensor arrays if the first part of the grid is triggered. It was designed to filter out space debris and background radiation."

"Taking us in," said Jelani tapping several points on her navigation console. The ship began to move slowly and smoothly through the invisible grid. When the facility was Daoran operated the defense-grid was activated to alert them of Shironian vessels which were much less maneuverable than the Sironia. The facility was visible in the distance, it was positioned along the outer orbit of a Blue Giant, the light would be normally blinding but the viewer automatically filtered the light to a visible level. It used the star as a source of power, its power core was one of the only of its kind in existence, its creator died a long time ago and no one else took up the research as it was deemed dangerous. "Something's wrong." Jelani brought the ship to a full stop in the midst of the detection grid.

"What is it?" asked Atondra an urgency present in her voice.

"The grid seems to have reconfigured, if I take the route originally plotted, we will pass right through the detection field." Kershala stepped forward and looked through the viewer using his implant to try and get an analysis.

"Anubis can you get any information on what's going on with the grid?" he asked.

"Yes Kershala. It would appear that the grid has been modified to change its search pattern every forty-five seconds it seems to be a recent modification," Anubis explained.

"Is there anyway you can make it visible?" asked Jelani looking back at the AI core.

"I can release a small burst of plasma particles from the thruster matrix. Kershala you will be able to pick this up with your implant if I tie the ships sensors into it, but you will be required to pilot the ship," said Anubis.

"Do it," said Atondra, "Jelani let Kershala take your post."

"It is done," said the AI as Kershala traded positions with Jelani. Kershala tilted his head to the side as Anubis opened his implant to the sensor array of the Sironia. It was a lot of information to process and he could feel that his implant was working at capacity, something he wasn't used to the sensation of. He put his hands to the tactile interface and began manipulating it with his hands. He looked through the main viewer but could basically see a full three-hundred-and-sixty-degree angle around the whole ship by taking the sensor information. Kershala could see the defense grid around the ship being translated by his mind as a blue matrix of lines and shapes all around them. He looked ahead and could see the facility and where he had to go. He began to move the ship with his hands, he hadn't flown the Neori class or anything as big as it was, but it seemed to feel natural to him. His hands glided across the tactile interface like he had been doing it his whole life. The matrix changed its shape again and Kershala reacted bringing the ship to a full stop in a vertical position to avoid the grid that was now behind him. They would be inside teleporter range very shortly; the AI analyzed the grid and he began taking the ship through it once again. Kershala was starting to feel strain on his mind as the ship's sensors were starting to gather more information on the facility as they got closer, performing constant sensor sweeps of the area.

"Stop… the… sensors…" Kershala strained to speak.

"Shut it down Elara," said Atondra. Kershala could feel some of the strain lift as Elara shut down the passive sensor system. The grid shifted again and Kershala reacted accordingly the ship shifting to head in a more vertical direction. As the ship began to move forward again a proximity alarm sounded, Kershala hadn't noticed that the wing of the ship moved through part of the grid.

"Hold on to something!" he yelled. Everyone in the room listened to him grabbing onto something to hold them in place, and he initiated a partial barrel roll positioning the ship upside down. "Anubis cut main power!" The ship went dark and Kershala's connection to the ship sensor array was broken. They watched as a patrol ship approached from somewhere beyond the facility it was smaller likely only a two-man craft. "Anubis initiate a dampening field." The entire command center stayed quiet as the ship passed seemingly within meters of the Sironia. The tension in the room was thick and Kershala felt a bead of sweat form on his forehead as the ship did another pass. He knew he managed to get the ship out of the way within the six second timeline, but the patrol ship was something they hadn't counted on.

"Have we been detected?" asked Atondra.

"Not yet," said Anubis. The ship did another pass around them and headed back to the facility.

"Anubis wait until they are out of range and give me full control again. The grid is going to change again soon," instructed Kershala. In a few short seconds the ship was out of sight and Kershala felt the link being re-established. He could still see the plasma particles as he began to move the ship again when, as suspected, the grid changed. It was becoming less elaborate the closer they got, and it wasn't long before they were out of the grid all together. Kershala felt the connection to the ship drop and he stood up and turned to face the others. "With any luck we will not have to do that again."

"Our proximity to the star will make it incredibly difficult for them to detect us," said Jelani retaking her station.

"Take us as far into the star as the outer hull will allow, Jelani," Atondra ordered taking a step forward. Kershala knew that the Neori class was meant to operate in extreme radiation conditions due to its original scientific nature. "Atondra to Rotabu." Atondra spoke activating the com system.

"Yes Atondra," Rotabu responded.

"We are through the grid, have your team meet Kershala and Kale at the teleporters."

"We are already here." Rotabu sounded eager for the mission, Kershala knew that he would likely be seeking vengeance for Sashir and could only hope he wouldn't lose his rationality over it. Kershala looked at Kale who had already slid his helmet on and headed for the door.

"Kershala, when you board the facility we will not be in range of our connection. I will not be able to assist you remotely. Only our communication channel will remain active," warned Anubis.

"I will be fine." The door to the command center opened and Kale walked out ahead of him and the two of them headed to the teleporters. He could feel an anxiousness from Kale that was normal for the mission they were about to undertake. Presumably Kale felt the same thing from him as he looked back and smiled with his eyes through the visor in his helmet. It wasn't long when they were walking through the door to the teleporter room. Lenari, Rotabu and Omall were there and all three had suited up in their armor. Lenari took a weapon from the nearby workstation and passed it to Kale.

"You forgot this on the ship when we got to the Typhonus," he said holding it up to Kale.

"Oh right, I had almost forgotten about it with everything that's been going on." Kale took the weapon and looked it over.

"Hold it to your back, there is a magnetic holster," said Kershala. Kale did as he instructed, and the weapon locked to his back. "Once we teleport over, be ready to dive into cover just in case there are unsuspected circumstances."

"Be ready for anything." Omall unholstered a large weapon. "This thing will blow a hole in the side of that facility if I want it to."

"Save that for after the mission," said Kale. They stepped up on the teleporter and Ralu walked through the door to operate the console.

"We are ready," said Rotabu.

"May Zarai watch over you," said Ralu operating the console. Kershala activated his helmet as he felt the teleporter activating and it wasn't long before they were standing at their destination, the waste disposal system. Everyone was quiet and ducked immediately behind nearby walls as Kershala got an idea of their surroundings. The smell was incredibly pungent, and they were almost knee high in a dark putrid liquid that seemed to be flowing from somewhere. The waste was stuck to the walls and ceilings and walls as well. It was likely that they would dump everything down here from toxic waste and dead bodies to actual humanoid excrement. Kershala was thankful he had a full breather in his helmet protecting him from most of the smell.

"We are clear," said Kershala. He and Rotabu took point with Kale and Lenari behind them with Omall bringing up the back. Anubis had downloaded a map of the facility to Kershala during the mission briefing and so far, it seemed to be accurate. Kershala also knew it was unlikely that they would run into any changes in the waste disposal system as it would take a very low priority as long as it functioned.

"How much further before we get out of this mess?" whispered Kale as they trudged through the liquid waste.

"Fifty meters this way," said Kershala pointing.

"Let's get a move on shall we, it's hard to tell if we set off any alarms when we teleported in," said Omall.

"Okay, try to keep up," said Kershala. They began moving quickly through the corridors following the map Kershala had in his head, they came to an access hatch that would lead them to a storage facility according to the map. "This is the closest way out of this place. A storage area lies above us." Kershala climbed the ladder and opened the hatch quickly jumping up into the room and looking around. It was lit barely enough to see but there didn't appear to be any movement and his implant didn't detect anything live. Rotabu and Lenari were up the ladder and Kershala bent down to pull Kale up by the arm, Omall followed shortly after and shut the hatch behind them. Lenari took out a scanner and began scanning the area. "Lenari do not use anything too invasive, we do not want them to detect our equipment."

"It's a passive scan but you should know I've picked up Daoran blood." Kershala felt a pit in his stomach he had prepared himself as best he could for the horrors he was sure the slaves here went through; but he still wasn't sure he was ready to face it. Kale walked ahead of them and unholstered his weapon, he had figured out that there was a light on the top of it and used it to shine around the room. Kershala scanned again with his implant and was picking up the blood Lenari spoke of. There appeared to be vast amounts of it about ten meters head.

"Arm yourself," he whispered. Rotabu unholstered his weapon and Lenari and Omall both took up sidearms as they walked cautiously forward. Kershala crouched to an offensive stance as they moved. Nothing in the room moved and Kershala could hear his heartbeat inside of his head the silence was becoming deafening. The source of the blood was crawling toward him as he moved, and it was starting to become clear to him what they were going to see.

"Oh my god," said Kale stopping in his tracks. They had found the source, in the corner of the storage there was a pile of Daoran bodies. They had been thrown in with no respect or care for them at all. Kershala could see all ages of men women and children. "They must be the slaves." Kale took his helmet off and ran a few feet from the pile and began to throw up from the site. Kershala felt a rage building inside him as he could see it in the others as well but felt a certain pang of relief at the fact that they no longer suffered. "Sorry." Kale walked back to them having secured his helmet back in place. "I've never seen anything so terrible before." Kershala could feel Kale's sadness permeating their bond to the point it washed over him like a wave. The rest of the group stayed silent and Omall walked over to take scans.

"At least they are at peace now," sobbed Lenari.

"After we are done here," Rotabu spoke quiet and with rage flooding his voice, "Their deaths will not be forgotten."

"Can you take their memories back to Anubis like before?" asked Kale.

"It is too far away. There needs to be a remote connection."

"It wouldn't matter anyway; the implants appear to be in the same state that Ashal's was in when we found his body." Omall bent over and rolled one of the bodies over to face him a young woman, there were visible burn marks on her chest. "It appears that some of these people were used as test subjects for the weapon. They would have required testing to narrow down the proper frequency to…"

"That is enough Omall," Kershala interrupted him not wanting to hear another word of what had been done. "They are at rest. We must move on." Kershala followed the map to the exit of the storage area and walked through the door not really caring what he was going to find on the other side. At this point he just wanted to be out of the room. Kale followed him quickly and the others were right behind him. They were into another corridor that split, according to the map would one path would lead them to ore processing and the other led to one of the mines.

"Are you okay?" Kale whispered before the others were in ear shot.

"Yes." Kershala looked at him and as the others approached. "We should take the path through the mines; the ore processing facility is the other direction. I suspect we will encounter more resistance there. Although the path to the labs is shorter through the processing facility."

"It bears to reason that if the Shironians made any changes to the facility then it would be the ore processing, the mines will likely before very similar to what the map projects," said Omall. Kershala nodded and they began their route toward the mines. They walked for about twenty meters before they started seeing the rock structure of the mines coming through the bulkheads of the walls; almost like the rocks had began reform around the facility itself. Most of the ceiling had been left as the natural rock that formed asteroid the facility was build into, but the floors and walls had been manufactured. Kershala found it odd that they had gone so long without any type of resistance; but considered the fact that the Shironians were overconfident in their own security system to think that it might fail them. They continued walking and the closer they got to the mine the more the rock took over the walls to the point that only the floor was made of a metal construct. They had come to a large metallic door that would lead them into the mine.

"Based on the maps information the mine will be very open. We will be easy targets for weapons fire so be ready." Kershala walked up to the access panel punched in a code that was contained in the map data to open the door. He was unsurprised to find out that it didn't work, and he would have to hack it with his implant. "I will hack the door the rest of you get ready." The group readied their weapons as Kershala activated his implant and attempted to force the door open. He had to be careful and take his time, if he was too invasive it would trigger the internal security net. He sat very still for several moments before he started making any progress breaking through security.

"Kershala what's taking so long?" asked Rotabu. Kershala shushed him and continued what he was doing, the door released and began to slowly ascend into the frame. Kershala jumped back to where Kale and Omall had taken cover. The door opened and two of the reptilian guards were standing watch they were looking over the doors wondering what had triggered it to open and before they even knew someone was there Rotabu and Omall hit them with their energy weapons causing them to vaporize. Kershala looked at both of them confused why they were using their weapons on such high-power settings.

"We need to get access to their occupational computers, turn down the power setting on your weapons," he said.

"Sorry, we were testing them before we left the ship to make sure the power regulators were optimized," explained Omall as he tweaked the setting on his weapon. "I guess it is." Kershala could see a smile form in Omall's eyes the rest of his face covered by the armor he wore. The group of them slipped into the mine and were faced with a massive structure ahead of them. The door shut behind them and they took cover out of sight. "I am detecting hundreds of Daoran's in this area." Omall referred to his scanner as his smile quickly faded. The road ahead is what Kershala did not look forward to crossing. They could see several Daoran's working with different tools extracting the mineral from the rock walls. Several transport carts were in place and moving in an assembly line as the Daoran slaves filled them. Kershala attempted to communicate with their implants, he could tell they were active but the reading he got from them was not what it should be. The signals had been modified and were being interfered with from somewhere in the cavern. Kershala looked around and could see the brutish Shironian task masters patrolling throughout the cavern.

"Rotabu, the patrols," he said simply. He gestured toward the patrols and Rotabu acknowledged what he saw. They had counted only three.

"Kershala why is there only three guards patrolling here? How can they keep so many Daorans at bay with so few of them?" asked Kale. Kershala thought briefly not able to answer the question just yet but he knew they would likely be coming across an answer soon.

"Let's go, we will deal with the guards maybe one of them will have what we are looking for," said Rotabu stepping forward. "It will be best for us to take them out at the same time, this will prevent them from communicating our presence to their command structure."

"Agreed. Rotabu, take the upper patrol. Lenari, you and Omall will deal with the mid level unit and Kale and I will take the one on the bottom of the structure," ordered Kershala. Rotabu nodded and took off right away. Kershala watched as he holstered his weapon and scaled the rock face to get to the top level. Lenari and Omall took a set of nearby stairs up a level and proceeded. "Signal when you have begun your attack." Kershala spoke over the communicator in his helmet to the others as he and Kale proceeded to track their own target. As they moved, they could see that the tools the Daoran slaves used were actually augmented to their bodies, none of them had a normal Daoran body anymore. They seemed to be ignoring them completely as they moved through them. All of the slaves had been altered to serve the purpose of mining in some way or another. Some of them had been equipped with retooled arms with different mining tools attached to them. Others had modified legs and spinal columns presumably for heavy lifting, some didn't appear to have any modifications at all until you were close enough to see that their eyes had been removed and replaced with scanners to detect mineral deposits. Some were even modified with all of the above. Kershala couldn't imagine what these poor people had endured at the hands of the Shironians, but it was becoming more evident that the Scientist was likely running the facility and performing the experiments. Kershala was doing his best not let his sadness get the best of him. With Kale around he had found it easier to supress certain emotions, he wondered if it was because Kale was human.

"What the hell are they doing here?" whispered Kale. Kale had stopped to look at one of the slaves that had their legs and spine augmented. "They don't even seem to be aware of us."

"We will investigate later, Kale for now we must find our mark." Kale turned back to Kershala and caught up to him with his weapon drawn.

"Omall here, we are in position." Kershala found their mark as well the task master having just turned a corner was now walking toward them.

"I am in position as well. Ready on your mark Kershala," Rotabu spoke from the communicator. Kershala looked back at Kale who was right behind him and gave the signal to attack.

"Go!" Kershala rushed the brute who was now only about fifteen feet from them and jumped into the air dropping down on the brute's head with his foot. It reacted much quicker than Kershala had anticipated and actually grabbed him and threw him into the wall. Kale jumped from around cover firing several pulses at it with his rifle. It wasn't long before Kershala realized something was different about this one, it was not the typical of its species in that it was much faster and resistant to energy weapons. Kershala ran at it as it took another step closer to Kale and took into a combo of fist attacks landing at least two hits under its chin and to its throat. All the while Kale timed his shots as he got the openings. The brute stumbled back a step and reached behinds its back and pulled out a bladed weapon, it came at Kershala swinging. He was quick to dodge now that he had a chance to re-evaluate his opponent. Kershala took jabs where he good and he could see the creature becoming effectively slower as he whittled it down. The brute brought up a large foot and kicked him sending him back a few feet before jumping at him and bringing the blade crashing down on him with all of its might. Kershala only had enough time to throw up his forearms and block the attack. He could feel the blade cut through the nanites in his suit and he could suddenly feel blood running down his arms. Kale fired on their opponent again this time landing several shots in its head and face. It stumbled back and Kershala had enough time to form one of his daggers, he jumped into the air and plunged it into the giant's head. It staggered as it grabbed at him and he gave the dagger one final twist, it went still as it fell to the ground with a loud thud. Kale ran to Kershala to make sure he was okay and Kershala went over the coms channel. "They have been modified be careful."

"Are you okay? That was crazy, why was it so strong?" asked Kale.

"I am fine, I am worried for the others." Kershala ordered the nanites to reorganize and shielded the wound his suit's integrity was sitting around eighty percent, he could already feel the blood drying.

"Modified didn't save him from having a big hole in his chest!" called Omall from above them. Omall and Lenari jumped down from the walkway they stood on and Omall held up the massive pulse weapon he brought with him. "This took care of everything just fine."

"We could not find any devices on the one we defeated to gain additional access," said Lenari as he began to search the one Kershala had fell. "There's nothing here." Lenari stood up and took out his scanner as if double checking to be sure nothing was there. "Rotabu, can you hear me?" There was no response. "Rotabu, were you successful?" Worry was starting to form in Lenari's voice. "Rotabu…"

"I am hear boy! I will be along shortly." Rotabu's voice was frustrated.

"Did you find one of the devices?" asked Kershala.

"Yes, I have it." Rotabu sounded injured Kershala could hear it in his voice.

"Lenari be ready to treat an injury he sounds hurt." Lenari nodded to him and sat his case on the ground and opened it up. In the meantime, Omall had walked over to the nearest slave to take scans of it. Kershala walked up behind him. "The Scientist?" he asked. Omall looked up from his scanner the look in his eyes seemingly confirming his suspicions.

"She is likely the one who came up with the weapon. It would make sense for her to… occupy herself in between weapons experiments." The man Omall was scanning had been modified with implants in his chest and both arms. He seemed to just be standing there awaiting his next task. "Can you hear me?" Omall whispered not really expecting a response. "Kershala see if you can get anything from your implant now that we are closer." Kershala walked over and began to scan the person who remained still. He took down his helmet and tried to get a clearer reading of the mans implant, at the sight of Kershala's face the Daoran had tears form in his eyes. Kershala could feel his heart breaking for the man as tears began to stream his face. "I'm not detecting any changes in him."

"I will try to link with him." Kale stepped forward and put his hand on Kershala shoulder.

"Are you sure that's wise, you don't know what these people have been through, do you really want to relive it?" asked Kale. Kershala pondered for a few seconds and took a deep breath, Kale was right.

"I have to try Kale, I will not link completely with him as you and I have, I will only try and communicate with him."

"Okay," said Kale satisfied that Kershala wouldn't endanger himself. Kershala put his hand to the Daoran's implant and began to initiate the Jadak'tora. At first there was nothing as Kershala's and the other Daorans' markings began to light up, the slaves markings had been disfigured and damaged beyond any type of identification. Kershala began to get memories at first but blocked them before they became visible.

"Kershala!" the slave yelled aloud. "You… must… stop… her…" Kershala could hear the voice in his head as clearly as it echoed through the halls of the mine. "We… are… already… dead…" His voice was haunting and almost robotic his voice strained. "Trapped… in… our own… mind…" Kershala could feel his emotions coming to a head as the emotional transference took place. "You… cannot… save… us… end… suffering…" Kershala had taken all that he could and pulled away. The fear and helplessness were unbearable, and the sadness flooded his mind in ways he almost hadn't imagined. Kale was right behind him as he turned away from the slave and put his arms around him.

"These people have been enslaved in their own minds. They are aware of us, but they are not in control of their own actions. They cannot be saved. They suffer, Kale," Kershala cried, "they suffer!" Kershala found solace in both Kale's physical and emotional strength, this was why he needed him to be there, he knew what he faced but he didn't know how he would be able to get away from it. "How did he know my name?"

"It's okay, I'm here, Kershala. You need to be strong. You can't save these people; we have to do the next best thing," Kale comforted.

"We end their suffering," said Lenari sadness permeating his voice. "Once we destroy this place that will end their pain." Kershala felt Kale's arms tighten around him, listening to Lenari made his heart ache but he knew that what he spoke of was right. There was no other way to help these people they had had their body and souls destroyed by the Shironians and they were beyond getting it back. Kershala took a deep breath as he gathered his thoughts.

"We can get back at the ones who did this Kershala. I promise we will," said Kale. Kershala stood up straight and took a step back.

"Pull yourself together boy," said Rotabu from behind them. Kershala turned to see the old warrior walking toward them with a deep wound in his shoulder. He could see that he had likely taken the bladed weapon in force. The violet blood ran out over his armor, one hand he braced over the wound the other carried a device. Lenari ran over to with his medical scanner in hand. "Pishar got the better of me, it was much quicker than I expected it to be." Lenari began scanning him and but Kershala could tell it was worse than he was letting on.

"That happened for us too. I believe the guards here have been modified they are not normal we must be on our guard," Kershala quickly pulled himself together. He took the device from Rotabu and looked it over, scanning it with his implant. "If we try to hack this device remotely then it is going to erase itself. Omall can you see if you can get into it?" Kershala passed it over to Omall who seemed eager to take a look at it. He turned his attention back to Rotabu Lenari put his scanner down.

"I can't fix this kind of wound here. It's too deep. You will need to return to the ship if you are going to save your arm," explained Lenari as he dabbed the wound with an antibacterial solvent from his med kit.

"Maybe get Ralu to take his place," said Kale.

"I would prefer not to have another inexperienced warrior with us. I will have Anubis teleport Rotabu back and the four of us will continue." Kershala reformed his helmet and opened his private com channel to the AI. "Rotabu has been injured and must be extracted, can you pull him back with the teleporter?"

"Standby," said Anubis.

"Rotabu stand by they are going to get in shortly." Rotabu nodded and looked at Lenari, Kershala could tell that he was worried about him but decided to say nothing, he could sense Rotabu did not want attention drawn to it.

"Be careful," Rotabu spoke low and with concern when light began to swirl around him seconds later, he was gone.


	27. Chapter 27

"Omall have you got that thing cracked yet?" asked Kale.

"Shortly," Omall tapped away at the device intently when a voice began speaking.

"Task Master Kimek please report your position Tarex and Dinai have failed to report in what is your status?" The voice spoke in Ekarvian and was coming from a communicator.

"Work faster," Kershala said calmly but conveying urgency. Omall's hands began moving faster over the devices interface and Kershala sat ready to download the new information.

"Got it," said Omall after a few long seconds. Kershala accessed the information and retrieved the updated layout, the knew map showed a lab in the upper echelon of the facility that was marked as the primary research division. Kershala was certain they would find what they were after there. The only problem lied in that the power core they would need to find was below them. "That's not good." Omall had also taken the information and looked at Kershala. "What do we do can we hit both areas with enough time? Once we hit the lab, I am sure we will be swarmed by the Shironians."

"What's wrong?" asked Kale.

"The lab we need to get to is at the peak of the facility but the power core is in the bottom," explained Omall while Kershala pondered the situation.

"Then we split up right?"

"I do not like the idea of separating, if the rest of the guards here are modified, they will not be easy to deal with. If they got the better of Rotabu then Omall and Lenari…" said Kershala. Suddenly an alarm sounded and seemed to be coming from all around them, the slaves that had been working stepped back from what they were doing and stood straight and still. "Come, we need to get out of the mine, there is very little cover here and they will have us at a disadvantage if we get caught in the open. There is a storage area not far!" Kershala began to run toward where he knew there would be cover based on the map's information. There was a parts storage area just off the mine that wasn't far away, from there they could access the maintenance tunnels. Everyone followed close behind him, they could hear the sound of the large doors opening in different areas around them as they ran. Two guards walked around a corner ahead of them and Kershala dispatched one with a hard-right hook while Kale took into the other one; attacking with a combo that Kershala had taught him during their training. Kershala stopped briefly and looked at Kale he was almost surprised at how quick he responded.

"What?" he said. The four of them started running again and took a corner, at the end of the corridor Kershala could see the door they were moving toward.

"That's where we need to go." They came up on the door quickly and Omall jumped onto the console attempting to open it. Kershala couldn't get a clear read on the mechanism for some reason instead having to rely on Omall to get through it.

"All military units be advised that we may have intruders, a blood profile was found that does not match any of the current stock," the voice echoed all around them.

"Hopefully those soldiers we killed won't need to report in anytime soon," said Kale as he turned to look back the way they came from. A few long seconds passed and Kershala was starting to get nervous at how long Omall was taking.

"Omall do you have it?"

"Soon," Omall tapped away at the interface in front of him, "Almost there." Omall had come off to Kershala as someone who didn't take his responsibilities very seriously but when he was under pressure, he was remarkably focused. "Got it!" The door jolted open and the four of them entered the storage room. The door shut behind them and Omall used the adjacent interface to seal it.

"What the hell!" Something startled Kale and he quickly held up his rifle. Kershala turned from Omall to realize that the parts storage was still storage but now it was storing something different. He counted fifty slaves lined up across the center of the room single file in in five rows. They were modified like the others and didn't seem to respond to their presence. Small tubes of green fluid seemed to run to the modifications from the ceiling. "Kershala you could have warned us. You didn't say it was storage for more slaves."

"I did not know it myself Kale." Omall stepped away from the console and rejoined the group. "There is a maintenance access tunnel in the far corner. It will lead us to the main lab." Kershala tried his best not to look at the slaves as he walked the length of the wall to the corner, the others were with him as he climbed the ladder and tore open the hatch. He jumped up into the maintenance tunnel and helped the others up one by one before closing the access hatch. They crawled through the tunnel for about twenty meters, it was slow going and the longer they went the hotter and more uncomfortable it became.

"Man is it supposed to be so hot in here?" asked Kale.

"The coils that transfer the energy drawn from the star are running along just above these tunnels. It feels like the coolant system may no longer be functioning at proper capacity. We should not be able to feel it this heavily," explained Kershala. The heat was beginning to bother him quite a bit and Daoran tolerance for higher temperatures was well above what humans would be able to handle. Kershala looked back at Kale who seemed to be weathering it, but he could tell it was wearing on him. "Seal your suit's environment it will protect you from the heat for the most part." Kale nodded his head and let out a deep breath before tapping the side of his helmet.

"Oh wow, that's better already." They drudged through the heated tunnel another twenty meters and came to an open corridor. "How much further to the main lab Kershala?"

"It is in the top of the facility. We should be approximately seventy meters from the lab entrance."

"So, we're going up?" Kale walked over to the ladder leading to the next hatch and climbed to the top. "What're we waiting for?" Kale grabbed on to the hatch and pulled on it with a great amount of effort. It finally came lose falling to the ground and Kale looked back at him. "Lead the way." Kershala smiled behind his helmet at Kale's determination and walked over to the ladder choosing to jump through the hatch above. "Show off…" Lenari started up the ladder follow by Omall and Kershala began climbing. They climbed to the top ladder to the next hatch passing several access ports along the way that would lead to the floor they were climbing to. The structure seemed to be simple in design for what Kershala expected of Daoran architecture, the access tunnels were far more useful than he originally thought they would be. He came to the next hatch and opened it to discover a barrier of rock blocking their way.

"Can we blast through it?" asked Omall as Kershala scanned it with his implant. The scan showed him the blockage affected the whole tunnel and there was no way they'd be able to get through it with the tools they had with them.

"No, we will have to go back and head to the floor below. We will reroute to the lift system. But we will need to get to the floor below us." Kershala looked down and waited for Omall and Lenari to start back down. The going was slow as they started back down. The heat from the transfer system below them was rising and was getting worse.

"We have to get out of here," said Lenari.

"We are almost out Lenari, stop complaining," said Omall as he stopped at the access point. He held himself to the ladder with one hand and forced the door with the other. One by one they climbed into the port. They crawled a few feet and dropped from the maintenance tunnel and found themselves in a low-lit lab. They could hear the alarm still sounding through the rest of the facility, but it was muted from the lab they were in.

"Kershala look," said Kale pointing to something in the center of the room. Kershala turned to see what he was looking at and the same apparatus hung along the wall that they had found on the Arktora's ship. He looked at it recalling the memory of the child Jinnar had tortured feeling a rush of anger.

"This must be a back up everything is sterile," said Lenari running a scan. Kershala looked around the lab and could tell that it was likely where they had modified all of the Daorans from the mines. His implant was picking up traces of Daoran blood plasma on most of the equipment.

"This is where they operated on the slaves," said Omall clearly having taken his own scans. Omall walked over to what was likely the main computer terminal and began to operate it. "We have to find out what happened here. There has to be something that tells us who the slaves used to be, blood records, implant ID's, list of names, something." Omall searched the database quickly as he spoke to himself.

"The Arktora had something like this on his ship in the trophy room," said Kale looking over the apparatus.

"Omall, be careful while you search. Any invasive actions could alert them to our presence," cautioned Kershala. "We must keep moving."

"Yes, yes I know. I've almost got the entire database downloaded to my scanner. There is a list of DNA and implant identifiers," explained Omall, "We can use this to at least honor their memory." Kershala walked to the door and tried to scan beyond it, his implant had difficulty getting any information beyond it. This was likely on purpose as he figured that they wouldn't want the Daoran's they experimented on to be able to scan for weaknesses or ways to escape the room.

"Any idea how long these Daoran's have been here?" asked Lenari looking over Omall's shoulder.

"Judging from the information I have here several of them were brought here right after the home world was taken, others are listed as having been here when the facility was captured." Omall's voice was low as he spoke as he tried to keep his emotions in check. "The modifications were made only a few months ago, when the Scientist first came to the facility." Kershala walked over to the terminal and looked at it with Omall.

"Is there any information on her here?" he asked.

"Only that she showed up on her own ship a few months back." Omall looked at Kershala. "It doesn't say if she ever left." Kershala looked from Omall to Kale.

"If she is here, I will kill her myself. Let's go." Kershala stomped toward the entrance and used his hands to force the door open. Sparks flew from the door as it had likely been broken by the force he used. The others quickly followed him Omall having gotten everything he could from the computer, and they turned a corner.

"There, let the command center know we have found the intruders!" yelled one of the eight Shironian guards they now stood in front of. Kale and Omall instinctively opened fire on the group of soldiers immediately dealing with three of the guards. Omall's energy canon vaporized two of the smaller ones and Kale got the one who had called out. Kershala ran at the remainder of them taking two hits from energy weapons before getting in arms reach of the closest one and hitting it in the side of the head with all of his strength behind it. As his fist collided with it, its whole body whipped around from the force. Kershala could tell that its neck had broken as it fell to the ground. He quickly jumped up the wall and launched himself at the next two; to his surprise one of the soldiers grabbed him and threw him against the wall he fell to the ground uninjured, but the wind had been knocked out of him. He figured these guards too had been modified.

"Kershala!" Kale called from behind him and fired his weapon several times mostly landing his target, for some reason the weapon didn't seem to affect it. Kershala watched as he got himself to his feet, Kale engaged with the soldier like he had been taught. Landing several hits to his opponent but the other ones attacked him with their weapons, light flashed from Kale's suit as its shield stopped the weapons fire. Kale took one more hit but ducked the last volley and let it hit his hand to hand assailant. The creature went down and Kale came back up sweeping his foot to trip the other. He jumped on the creature and struggled to get its weapon away from it. "Son of a bitch." Kale yelled before forcing all of his weight down on the weapon bringing it down on his opponent's head. Omall fired at the others trying to maintain suppressing fire and keep them out of the fight. There were no brute types just the two types of smaller soldiers to contend with. Lenari was at Kershala's side making sure he was alright.

"I'm okay, Lenari." Kershala jumped to his feet and grabbed Lenari's weapon and fired on the others killing one more of them. The last two looked at each other and took to running, Kershala knew they were going to give away their location if they got the chance and he had to prevent it. He took off after them as fast as he could. "You will not get away!" As they ran from him, they fired their weapons back at him Kershala jumped out of the way with ease as they did not watch where they shot. He could hear them speaking as they ran and could only hope they hadn't given away their location. He caught one of them by the tale and slammed it to the ground, the other looked back and began running on all fours. Kershala had never seen them run like that before but it was significantly faster because of it. Kershala picked up speed now running as fast as he could without completely letting loose. He managed to get close enough to the soldier that a bound would bring him in front of it. He propelled himself as hard as he could and landed in front of it, the soldier crashed into him and the two rolled several feet ending with Kershala on top of it.

"They know you are here little prince," it hissed. Kershala formed one of the blades in his free hand and plunged it into the creature's chest. The body went limp under him. Kershala stood up the alarms still blaring around him, it was unsettling to know that even the lowest ranked soldiers knew who he was. He turned back to the direction he had come from and Omall came around the corner.

"You managed to stop them I see," said Omall out of breath. "I didn't want you to go alone, but the others couldn't keep up. They're on their way." Omall leaned against the wall breathing heavily.

"I didn't manage to stop them in time, they know we are here."

"Things will get harder from here then." Omall checked over his weapon before smiling at Kershala through his helmet. "I'll be ready for them." The alarms suddenly stopped but the lights continued to flash.

"The insurgents have been located. Lock down the facility, they must not interfere with our research." The voice speaking was female earlier it had been a male voice. Kershala wondered if this was the Scientist herself. "All tier two and three guards converge on sector seven of nine research division two." Lenari and Kale were at the end of the hall running toward them, Kale held the weapon he took from one of the guards.

"I take it that's not a good sign," said Kale as they caught up.

"No, it is not, but we will make it, they will be on us shortly," said Kershala looking ahead of them. Kershala scanned the area using a powerful pulse with his implant, they already knew where he was so there was no point in limiting themselves. "I am detecting a total of twenty-five Shironian life signs within fifty meters of us. They are converging on our location but will not arrive together. The lift is just beyond a room at the end of this corridor that used to be a feeding station for the workers." The others nodded and Kershala began running at a pace that allowed the others to keep up. As they made their way to the lift, they encountered a single brute with two of the lizard soldiers, that were easily dispatched Kershala taking down the large one and Kale and Lenari dispatching the other two with their weapons. They came to the entrance a large two door archway, Kershala stopped at the door scanning beyond it with his implant. "They are massing at the other end of the room. Omall get the door." Omall walked to the access panel for the door and began accessing it with his implant. "There are fourteen of them. Kale when the door opens you and I must go in first, our armor will absorb any energy weapon they can throw at us while Omall and Lenari get into position. Look for cover as quickly as you can I will move to engage them in close combat."

"I can open the door when you are ready," said Omall looking up from the panel. Kershala beckoned everyone to stand to the sides of the door and signalled Omall to open the door. As the doors slid open a barrage of firepower began blasting through the door and hitting the opposite end of the hallway. Kershala looked at Kale and the two of them bounded into action, Kale opening fire with the weapon in his hand as he entered the room Kershala jumping around the corner and jumping to the roof unleashing three of the radeeko his suit held in the direction of the enemy forces. Each of them took several shots getting into position, Kershala's interface telling him that his armor was at seventy-three percent of overall integrity. Kale's shielding had almost failed, but he had made it into cover and would be okay. The Shironian's had set up a firing line in at the other end of the room. The radeeko Kershala had unleashed had landed their targets hitting several of their attackers at the other end of the room suddenly exploding causing disarray in their ranks. This was enough for Kershala and Omall to get in close. Omall fired his energy cannon destroying the cover they had set up for themselves and the two of them jumped into combat. Kershala formed both of his blades and proceeded to cut down several of his opponents. Two armored soldiers come at him one with the energy whips Kershala had dealt with before another with a large duel blade. The whip wrapped around Kershala's wrist and seemed to hold onto him the other came at him with its blade. As it raised the weapon to strike it began glowing red, something Kershala had never seen before. He raised his blade in his other hand to meet the weapon as it came down on him and as it touched his weapon disintegrated. The red glow was familiar from his fight with Jinnar as he had used a weapon with a similar glow in beam form to kill the nanites in his suit. Kershala used the whip that had wrapped around his wrist and pulled his other attacker in with his free hand. The energy whip cut right through its armor and cut it in two at the center of its torso. The other who held the whip took several shots to the head causing it to release and faulter. Kershala used the opportunity to advance on it and tripped the creature slamming his foot down on its neck. He glanced back to see Kale had been the one to shoot his attacker.

"I've got your back." Kale spoke through their private channel.

"I know you do." Omall had pulled a long-bladed weapon from his suit and was wreaking havoc on the Shironian solders, easily using it to cut them into pieces. The more he killed the blade began to glow a deep violet colour, Kershala recognized it as a cylon blade. It would take energy from anything it cut through and store it to be used later, Kershala had trained with it but found the weapon to be cumbersome. Omall however seemed to be able to make it dance having taken down most of their attackers with it. He swung at one of two of the large brutes with it that caught the blade in its hand. For a second Kershala could tell that the soldier thought it had gotten the best of him but Omall twisted the blade and there was an energy pulse that took off the creature's entire arm before Omall thrusted it into its chest. Before it collapsed the creature flung its heavy arm upward catching Omall and sending him crashing backwards into the wall. He fell to the ground and didn't move. Kershala looked the last brute that was left standing and jumped into the air at, it swung for him but Kershala able to twist himself around its large fist and land on its chest. He dug his feet into its body and began pummelling the creatures face, it managed to get a hand around his leg and throw him into the air with little effort. Kershala landed against the wall altering the gravity around him and repelled himself back at the behemoth. He deliberately flew over its shoulder grabbing its head on the way by and swinging to being in a position with his feet on its shoulder. He managed to get both of his hands grasped on its top jaw and pulled with everything he could. He had done this before but this time the creature seemed to tougher, it grabbed at him and flailed its arms he could feel that several of the smaller ones fired at him with their energy weapons but he ignored it and gave one last push with his legs. He not only felt the creatures jaw give way but the bones his feet rested on gave way as well resulting in the creature going entirely limp and falling with a bang. Kale had dealt with the others that were firing on him and they had made it through the blockade. "Is he okay?" Lenari had already made it to Omall's side and was checking him over with his scanner.

"He is going to be alright but there is a small fracture in his rib cage," said Lenari. Omall sat his head up having woken up but immediately put his hand to his chest.

"That was intense, you okay Omall?" asked Kale as he came running over.

"I'll be fine, eventually, but I think I have to go back to the ship I don't think I can go on like this," said Omall. Kershala knew he was right as he opened communication with the ship.

"Atondra, Omall has been injured, you must pull him out," said Kershala.

"What is going on over there, we have detected four Shironian warships on their way to the facility," said Atondra.

"We have been detected and we have so far been able to decimate their security force, are you able to pull Omall out?" Kershala repeated.

"We are unable to pull him from the current location it is too heavily shielded from our teleporters," said Anubis, "If you are at the lifts send him down to the mining facility and we can pull him from there."

"There are two lifts we can send one down. How long until the ships arrive?"

"You have approximately twenty-five minutes. Kershala it is important to note that they may know you are here, it is unorthodox to send so many ships to a general distress call," Anubis explained.

"The Scientist is here as well," said Lenari.

"Then it stands to reason they are on their way to retrieve either her or you." Kershala thought about the situation briefly considering what could happen if he was captured.

"I will send Omall back with Lenari, Kale and I will proceed to the lab, we will destroy the research, but we will likely not have time to destroy the entire facility."

"Noted, make haste Kershala." Kershala looked at Kale and he nodded then to Lenari who started to help Omall to his feet.

"We will take the lift down," said Lenari helping Omall over to the left unit. Kershala hacked the lift with his implant and it opened. The two of them stepped in and turned around. "Good luck." Kershala nodded and shut the door and sent them to the lower floors, he looked back at Kale as the other lift door opened. The two of them stepped in and the door shut behind them, the lift activated with a jolt.


	28. Chapter 28

"Well, not quite how I imagined it, but we got here," said Kale. Kershala looked back at Kale who was checking over the weapon he held in his hand.

"Is your shielding still active?" he asked.

"Yup, like you said it never dropped to zero so it's regenerating, seventy percent." Kale checked the readout on his arm.

"Good." Kershala's own suit sat at fifty percent integrity after the attack from that blade took so many of the nanites with it. "I do not know what to expect beyond this point. If we encounter the Scientist do not let her get within arms reach of you. If she has Jinnar's enhancements she will not feel pain. There will be nothing you can do to slow her advance. Set your weapon to the highest setting." The lift drew to a halt, but the door didn't open, Kershala looked back at Kale and his helmet retracted into the implant. Kale touched the helmet and the faceplate opened, Kershala could feel a nervousness coming from him that he had become familiar with. He leaned in and kissed him quickly hoping everything would go as they needed it to.

"I love you," Kale smiled at him and pulled away. "Just a reminder of what you're fighting for."

"I love you too." Kales helmet closed again and Kershala reformed his helmet straightening his posture. Kershala would fight with everything he had to and whomever he had to, to make sure he got to see Kale again. The door opened to a long decontamination corridor, Kershala's implant sweep revealed nothing out of the ordinary and he was becoming more and more sure that they had defeated all the guards at the lab. They walked out into the corridor and a blue light activated and steam began to flush over them from a system of dispensers suspended above them. Kershala looked back at Kale and they both took to running to make the end of the hall.

"Can you get it open?" asked Kale as they came to the doorway.

"I believe so." Kershala scanned the door with his implant everything he found said the door should be automatic. He could tell it was locked remotely from the other side, part of him had hoped that the Scientist would be there so he could deal with her but also knew that his suit wasn't ready for a fight and she would likely take more than he could handle right now. He hacked the door and in a couple of seconds the door opened. There was a flash of light and one of the consoles fell from its position at a workstation as someone was teleported from the room. There was no one else there. Kale let out a sigh of relief seemingly that they wouldn't have to deal with anymore and the two of them stepped into the room. It was a large open laboratory not as sterile as the last one but Kershala could tell this was the primary weapons research lab. Models of the different weapons the Shironians used were projected on different screens throughout the lab Kershala knew he would have to wipe all the data locally to get rid of the information. He hoped that he could find a way to destroy the facility from the room but would require the AI's help. He began scanning the consoles trying to determine the right one to use as an access point, it didn't take long, and he walked over to the unit and began accessing it.

Kale stayed close to Kershala not wanting to turn his back to the door for even a second. He gripped his rifle in his hand tightly ready for something to even move. He was anxious and could tell that Kershala was as well the twenty-minute time limit certainly wasn't helping anything. Kale couldn't help but feel frustrated that he wasn't able to relax and just enjoy the scenery. The ceiling of the lab was completely open, and Kale could see the asteroid field and the star from where they were in the current orbit. He could only assume that the material was blocking out most of the light that would otherwise be blinding to look at. He looked back at Kershala who was immersed in what he was doing. Then looked back at the door, he checked his rifle again his nerves getting the best of him in the quiet; the only sound was the hum of the power system that ran the computers.

"How much longer?" he asked.

"I have unleashed a virus into the computer, it would appear that these computers were never changed from the original Daoran computers, they have very little in depth defence once passed the first line."

"That's lucky." Kale checked his weapon again before stopping himself as he realized what he was doing. "Come on man, chill out." Suddenly the door to the lab shut and Kale looked back at Kershala. "Did you do that?"

"No, it is automatic."

"Right, right," said Kale trying again to save his nerves. "What if we just trashed the place?"

"That would not work, the database is located in the central data core." Kale suddenly felt a strange air come about the room and looked around.

"Do you feel that?" he asked.

"No." Right beside him a portal suddenly opened that Kale recognized from watching Kershala's fight in the hologram that Anubis showed him.

"Kershala look out!" Kale rolled to the side and opened fire on the portal before anything could step through it, but it didn't seem to matter. Kershala responded by diving away from the console and getting to his side. The portal closed and two more opened Kale tried to fire his rifle, but it seemed to have overheated from using the higher power setting. Two very tall creatures stepped through, their armor was unfamiliar, but their stature and look were similar to Jinnar and Kale was beginning to think the worst possible fear was about to happen. The portals closed behind them and Kershala jumped immediately at one of them letting out a sort of battle cry. The other jumped over Kershala seemingly to avoid him and come for Kale. Kale didn't let it get in arms reach of him backing off as he reached for the other weapon immediately firing at the creature. He seemed to land all of his shots, but the creature only jolted not really stopping its approach. Kale moved around a workstation trying to make sure there was something between them. He knew that if this thing was even half as strong as the Arktora was, there was nothing he could do in a hand to hand fight. Kershala had managed to get away from the other one briefly and jumped on the back of the one approaching him. It reacted reaching back with its large arms trying to grab at him. Kale watched as Kershala tucked one of the radeeko down into its armor and jumped back. The creatures back exploded, and it fell limp forward. Kale felt relief come over him as Kershala turned his attention back to the other one. At the sight of the other one dying it let out a horrid screech and came barrelling down on Kershala. Kale knew that the radeeko were limited and Kershala didn't want to use them up if he could avoid it. "What do you need from me? What can I do?" he asked in his private channel desperately wanting to be helpful.

"Get to the terminal and make sure the virus is still working." Kershala answered. Kale ran over to the machine and could see information flashing on the screen. "Activate your visor, it will translate the writings for you." Kale tapped on the side of the visor and sure enough it activated translating the information on the screen. There was a bar flashing, Kale could only assume it was the virus purging the database. "What does it say?" Kale looked back as Kershala jumped at the creature and kicked it in the chest knocking it against the wall with a crash and looked back at the screen.

"It looks like its at eighty five percent. It's still rising."

"Good." The creature had gotten to its feet and grabbed Kershala. Kale turned and shot it with his weapon staggering it long enough for Kershala to wrap himself around its arm and using his grip to break it at the joint. The creature let out a guttural cry as it fell back it was clearly less tolerant of pain then Jinnar. Kershala dropped to his feet and rolled at the creature before doing a backflip and having his feet connect with the creature's chin, throwing its head back. "I believe I am almost done with this thing." Kale looked back at the screen and it had risen to ninety-five percent. It wouldn't be long. "Kale seal your suit and switch to the breather. The virus will destroy all of the protocols the facility uses to regulate life support and regular operation." Kale did what he was told wondering what that would totally entail. He thought about all those Daoran slaves they had come across and how painful it must have been for the others to watch them as they were. Knowing what they went through was hard for Kale to even imagine. There was a crash and Kale looked to the side in time to see Kershala slammed against a console the creature raging on top of him. Kale aimed but hesitated the angle he was at he might hit Kershala.

"I don't have a clear shot!" There was suddenly a hissing sound as the virus finished wiping the database. The lights went out leaving the only source of light to be the star that shone through the window above them. Kale could feel himself begin to lift from the ground as the artificial gravity was shut off. The room also turned very cold as the atmosphere was no longer contained. Kershala kicked the creature away from him and it seemed to be unable to breath grasping for its helmet. A few seconds past and the creature stopped moving. "Now what?" Kale felt himself floating upside down and looked at Kershala who seemed to be able to stand on the ground just fine.

"Your suit has magnetic boots, tap your ankle." Kershala walked over to be standing below him and Kale did what he suggested. He ended up stuck to the ceiling of the room.

"This is a strange experience," said Kale to himself almost bothered by the fact that he didn't think to reposition himself before activating the magnets. He walked along the ceiling and then down the wall with ease. Walking with mag-boots was just about what he expected it to be.

"Anubis are you able to get us out of here? Do you have Lenari and Omall?" asked Kershala.

"Yes, Kershala we will be able to pull you from the facility shortly. Omall and Lenari are safely aboard," said Anubis.

"Kershala when you two are back come straight to the command center. Whatever you did seems to have dropped the defence grid so we should be able to make a clean get away," said Atondra. "The ships are still thirteen minutes away."

"Yes Atondra." Kale breathed a sigh of relief knowing that this mission would be over soon. He hadn't been through anything like it before. There was literally nothing in his life that he could compare it to before this. The minute passed in silence as they existed in a literal vacuum before Kale felt the teleporter activating, it was strange that he felt it on his skin even with the armor on. Before he knew it, they were standing on the teleporter pad and Ralu was looking at them from across the console. They stepped down from the pad and Kale opened his helmet as Kershala retracted his whole suit. Kershala walked ahead of him but Kale took his hand and pulled him into a kiss.

"We did it. I just wanted to celebrate." Kershala smiled at him and kept his hand in his as they left the room to head to the command center. They broke out into a jog and were there quickly. Kale stood back by the AI core and Kershala walked to stand beside Atondra.

"Jelani get us out of here. Make sure the stealth system is fully active. We don't need to draw any attention," Atondra ordered before turning to Kale and Kershala. "Welcome back I am glad to see you made it out. Did you encounter the Scientist?" Kershala shook his head.

"No, I thought she might be there, but we only caught someone teleporting out as we entered the lab."

"Damn."

"I was able to upload a virus to the database and completely wipe it, we may not have destroyed the facility like we planned but they will not be able to use it without completely reprogramming all of the equipment," Kershala smiled at Atondra. "Something we know that most of the Shironians are not very good at." Atondra laughed at Kershala's comment.

"Atondra for some reason I cannot get us into FTL the engines are not responding," explained Jelani. Kershala walked over to the station and checked the readout.

"Anubis is there anything preventing us from going to FTL?" he asked.

"I am detecting no abnormalities in the ships engine core." Anubis paused as if something was happening to it. "Kershala I am detecting a dampening field it is stopping us from forming a subspace bubble."

"The facility is offline, how is that possible?" asked Atondra.

"It is not coming from the facility; it appears to be coming from a small ship. In the vicinity. I am unable to pinpoint its location."

"Did those ships get here sooner than you thought they would?" asked Kale taking a step forward.

"No, I can still detect them."

"Anubis you must determine what is happening. We have to get out of here. Jelani start taking us away from here using the thrusters full speed. Maybe we can get out of its range." Kale could feel the tension in the room heighten he knew they didn't want to be around when the incoming ships dropped out of FTL. There was a flash of light in the corner and Kale suddenly felt arms around his upper body.

"Kershala!" he called and felt himself being pulled backwards. Kershala turned to face him just as he was pulled through a portal by someone. The last thing he saw was Kershala's face as the portal closed and two Shironian guards were suddenly holding weapons to his face he triggered his helmet to close and sat very still. A tall thin Shironian walked from behind him it had the face of a wraith and was armored in a very sleek almost cat suit that seemed to hug its thin features revealing the sharp points of its bone structure.

"I've got what I needed, let the dampening field come down so we can get out of here," it spoke in a higher-toned voice. Kale came to realize he had been kidnapped and was standing on the ship of the Scientist.

"Kale! Kale are you there!" Kershala came through on their personal channel.

"Yes." Kale spoke low hoping that his captors wouldn't hear him. "I'm on a ship it must be nearby."

"We have you Kale! I am coming!" Kale felt tears forming in his eyes and he tried to hold back his emotions, he had not been so scared in all of his life. The Daoran's feared this woman for a reason and he had a feeling he would find out if Kershala couldn't help him.

"Anubis launch your cyberwarfare suite and keep that ship here. I will teleport over to it and get him back." Kershala suited up he could feel Anubis working, but was not satisfied it was trying its hardest. "You will devote all resources to this, I am not leaving him over there. Bring the ship up on the viewer."

"Kershala I am not able to get control of the vessel to take down its barriers," said Anubis. Everyone else in the room ceased to exist as Kershala walked to the weapons console and began firing on the ship. He landed all of the hits, but it was still able to jump to FTL.

"Follow it." Kershala spoke plainly he thought his orders were clear.

"Kershala we cannot abandon the mission…" Atondra spoke.

"Follow it!" Kershala screamed with rage and fear in his voice. He hopped the console and ran to the helm of the ship; Jelani jumped out of the chair seemingly knowing what was next. Kershala stayed standing as he leaned over to use the console. "Give me control of the ship, you will NOT disobey me now!"

"Yes Kershala." The AI did what it was told and Kershala took the ship to FTL speeds chasing the ship that had taken Kale.

"Kershala are you still there? They've gone to FTL." Kershala could hear the fear in Kales voice and it only made him fight harder.

"I will not lose you Kale." Kershala pushed the Sironia to as fast as it could instantly, and he could tell from the ships sensors that they seemed to be gaining on them. "We are gaining on them. Kale hold on!" Kershala was not about to lose the only love he had ever known; Kale was now the only thing he had that resembled family.

"Kershala we can't risk the whole ship for one life," said Atondra walking to him.

"Do not try to stop me, I will not lose him!" Kershala could feel tears forming in his eyes as he began to feel desperate. The ship they were chasing seemed to suddenly pick up speed and the Sironia was already at maximum velocity. The ship began to shake, Kershala used his link with the AI to reroute power from other systems including life support and weapons. He kept the teleporters online, as he hoped to use it in his rescue attempt the whole ship began to shake, and the others put on breather masks as the life support seemed to all but stop working. "Kale, I need you to do something they continue to gain speed and we are not able to catch them like this!"

Kale heard Kershala speak and could hear the heartbreak and desperation in his voice. He swallowed back his fear and looked around the room quickly before attacking the guards upper cutting one of them and shooting the other with the weapon they failed to take from him. He took his weapon and shot the console he assumed was the helm of the ship and sparks flew from it. He fired again several times all around the room before he was tackled from behind.

"Did that work?"

"Yes Kale." Whatever Kale did, seemed to slow the ship temporarily and Kershala walked from the console switching it to autopilot. "Anubis do what you must to disable its barriers! I have to save him." Anubis used the ships weapons to fire almost endlessly, its hits landed but the barriers weren't coming down.

"Kershala are you mad boy! That is the ship of the Scientist it is bad enough she has Kale we cannot give her you as well," said Atondra.

"I do not care! I cannot let these monsters take him Atondra. He needs me!" Kershala pleaded. He watched as the Sironia's refitted weapons fired on the vessel they were chasing. Its shielding seemed to be taking the hits.

The whole ship shook but only slightly as the Sironia fired upon them, Kale could hear Kershala's side of the whole conversation he was having with his crew. He could hear him pleading and knew that Kershala wouldn't let him go voluntarily. He knew that Atondra was right, he couldn't allow Kershala to be captured and it didn't look like he was going to let him go.

"Foolish Daoran's do they want to come with us, I'm sure I can arrange that. But this one has incredible potential. I'm going to be busy for awhile as it is," the Scientist laughed.

"Kershala it's okay, you can't save me this time." Kale cried as he lay there on the floor with a weapon to the back of his head.

"No Kale, I won't leave you."

"You have to, Kershala. It doesn't sound like they're going to kill me." Kershala stood on the bridge of the ship that was now crumbling around him listening to Kale speak. "You know I love you with everything I am, and I don't have to be right with you for you to feel that."

"Kale please don't make me do this I cannot leave you with those butchers!" Kershala cried. He fell to his knees trying to pull in Kales emotions as he spoke. "I am so sorry Kale, I failed you…"

"No, you didn't, you couldn't have planned for this. You know I'll always come back." Kale's voice cracked a he spoke and Kershala felt his heart breaking all over. "Please don't get everyone on that ship killed for me, I can't bare the thought of that." The connection between them was starting to fail as the Shironian ship started to get out of range and Kales voice started to break up. "I know its going to be hard for you, but I need you to stay strong okay. I can't be there to put you back together this time."

"No Kale do not make me give up."

"I can't allow you to put yourself in danger for me; I love you too much." Kershala could hear Kale's voice cracking again as he cried. "I just need to hear you say one more thing…"

"I love you, Kale." Kershala choked on his words as he spoke, he felt a strain on the implant as he tried to maintain the connection. "I will find you. Even if I have to search the entire galaxy, I will find you."

"I know you will, and I'll be waiting. I love…" The last message ended in static and their communication was broken.

"Jelani! Drop us out of FTL!" yelled Atondra. Jelani jumped back in her chair and dropped the ship from FTL speeds and everything around them seemed to shake. Kershala fell back against the console and let out a guttural cry. Once again someone he loved had been taken from him he braced himself against the wall looking through the main viewer with tears streaking his face. He had felt so helpless. Jelani looked over at him with tears in her eyes and he couldn't tell if she was sad for him `or frightened by his actions.

"What was all of that?" asked Lenari from somewhere behind him.

"Kale has been taken, Kershala took control of the ship to attempt a rescue," Atondra explained.

"Oh no are we going after him?" asked Lenari.

"The Scientist has him…" Atondra spoke and retook her position at the command center. Lenari came around the corner and looked at Kershala as he sat against the console. Lenari's eyes asked for permission to approach and right now he was the only one Kershala would let near him. He sat down next to him and put his arms around Kershala's neck.

"I am so sorry, Kershala," he whispered. Kershala could feel nothing from Kales connection with him and he suddenly felt truly alone. Even with Lenari's arms wrapped around him.

Kale was pulled to his feet by another of the Shironian guards, one of the lizard types and was now looking at the Scientist who sat in a chair at the front of the ships command center. The console he had destroyed was the primary helm control, but they had quickly rerouted it to another part of the ship and were still able to escape the Sironia. Kale felt a strange aching in his head along with an incredible dread of loneliness, it was more intense than anything he had experienced before. He didn't take long to realize this was his connection with Kershala and now that they were so far apart it was lost.

"Well that was certainly unexpected, I like when my test subjects have lots of fight in them. Its always fun to watch it drain from their eyes after a few of my more invasive experiments," said the Scientist, "What are you exactly? My scans have never picked up anything like you before."

"Human."

"Oh yes, Jinnar was killed on your home world wasn't he. Another planet of apes. Just what the galaxy needs." Her tone was ripe with sarcasm as she spoke. "Although my scans show that your species is quite versatile in that you can be widely applicable in my research.

"What are you going to do to me?" Kale tried to sound unafraid but swallowed hard.

"Well first I'm going to take few scans to confirm my suspicions about your species. Then we must see how far the Daoran brainwashing has gone." The Scientist stood from her chair and walked over to Kale she had to bend down to look him in the eye and looked at him through his helmet. "Take him to the secondary lab and have him categorized, get him out of this ridiculous armor and have him cleansed. You must have been around them for some time, you smell just like them," she scoffed. "Sickening. See to it that he is not harmed. I need him very much alive and functional, though I can overlook a few contusions here and there." The Scientist smiled at him and turned to walk away from him, the two guards that held him took a hold of him again. Once he knew that they wouldn't kill him he saw no reason not to put up a fight.

"Let go of me!" He brought his foot down on the guard and elbowed it in the head as hard as he could. He turned to the other guard and grabbed for its weapon when he was suddenly grabbed from behind and slammed on his back. He jumped up as quick as he could and turned to see the Scientist staring at him with another couple of guards on either side of her.

"My patience grows thin," she said. "Hold him!" The two other guards rushed him and pinned him against the wall almost knocking the wind out of him. Kale struggled against their hold as she walked slowly toward him. Her hand began glowing as she approached him, she laid it on his chest, and he could feel the heat coming from it. It became painful very quickly, as it seemed to be melting the material the armor was made from to begin with.

"I won't give into you," said Kale. He continued to struggle against their grip but there was no way he could get away. He brought up his foot and kicked away her hand but all he did was make her angry she grabbed him around the neck and lifted him a full two feet off the ground keeping him pinned to the wall.

"You don't seem to understand, you do not get to choose." She brought her free hand up to his helmet and touched it, there was a flash from her hand that seemed to send some kind of electromagnetic pulse through his armor causing it to release and fall from his body. As it fell away from him, she dropped him to the ground and kicked him in the stomach hard enough to knock the wind out of him, this time he couldn't recover from it. One of the guards passed her an injection tool and she placed it to his neck, there was a hissing sound as something was released into his blood stream. "In only a few seconds he won't be able to give you anymore trouble. See to my wishes." Kale felt a pain start at the injection site and he grabbed for it but could barely move, he began to feel suddenly very stiff as he first thought that they had injected him with an anesthetic of some kind but then he realised he was able to see around him he just couldn't move. He fought as hard as he could to move his limb as the two guards picked him up, but they were numb and had fallen limp. He figured it was a neural toxin they had injected him with to stop him from being able to fight back, the pain had subsided, and he was still aware of everything they did to him.

The two guards took Kale from the command center of the ship, and down a lift. The inside of the ship itself was very different than the ships he had been on so far. The temperature and humidity were through the roof, through his euphoric state he could still feel the discomfort of the heat. It was lit mostly with a red lighting with occasional yellow lighting as he was hauled through the corridor. They had come to a large door and Kale watched one of the guards use a retinal scanner to gain access. Once inside the lighting changed to what he would expect from a sterile lab in mostly whites and blues. The guards sat him on a table on his back and began cutting off the clothing he was wearing using a laser cutter, Kale was aware of the heat next to his body but couldn't tell if they had burned him or not. Two other Shironians walked over to them and took over the procedure.

"He's been given a neural inhibitor he will not be able to resist you," said one of the guards passing him off. "She was clear, have him categorized, he is not to be harmed." The two that had taken over were dressed differently than the Shironian soldiers they had fought before, they wore body suits one was one of the lizard-type guards he had become familiar with, the other slightly humanoid in appearance. Kale assumed this was the type in the red and black armor he had once fought. The two whom had brought him down here left and the others took over. They strapped a brace around his shoulders and hooked him into a machine that lifted him up and hung him in the center of the room only about a foot off the ground.

"Let's get him cleansed first." The two of them were gone from his sight for a moment before returning with a large vat of jelly. They began rubbing it all over him, he could feel the cold from it as they touched it to his skin but as they began to rub it in it began to heat up the sensation was comparable to a hot cold cream but it was more intense. The heat was becoming unbearable but all he could do was sit there and let it happen. The humanoid ran its hands around Kales inner thighs and all over his body. "Looks like an external sexual organ, consistent with other mammalian species we've encountered. She will be pleased with that I think." The humanoid fiddled with his body for a few seconds and Kale felt like he had been violated. "I wonder how many sexes their species have." The two of them stepped clear of him and he could hear a machine activate somewhere out of sight. Something from above him dumped a cooling liquid on him, the jelly had been washed away and his skin was left feeling oddly oily almost like the liquid was still there.

"At least the smell is gone. I will go get the scanner." The machine Kale was suspended from lowered him down to be eye level with the two that were working on him and they began running an odd circular machine over his body. The lizard scanned him while the humanoid seemed to be taking notes at the console nearby. "Okay, now then. From the top." It ran the scanner around his head and face before pulling it back and taking a look at the findings. "Bone structure seems to be made up of several minerals, primarily calcium and phosphorus also reading small amounts of magnesium, sodium and bicarbonate," it spoke slowly as it read off the information. "Brain consists of a very large cerebrum and two cerebral hemispheres the outer cortex is a layer of grey matter with a core of white matter. The brain is larger than most species we've encountered out here. Particularly large for an ape species."

"That must be her interest in this species." Kale got to listen to them categorize every organ in his body over the next couple of hours adding in their own commentary also having been poked and prodded with several different tools. He was left feeling violated and he still didn't feel any better or able to move even with the passage of time. He did his best to stay awake fearing that he might miss something important to his situation. The machine shifted as the two of them walked out of sight again he could feel himself being pulled into the air. He did his best to take in the lab as he saw it overhead, he could see an area off to the side where several people were being held in a large cage before he was brought back down to a normal level. "I'll take another scan to verify that he has been disinfected and is free of health concerns before we put him in with the others. In the meantime, will you get him some garb that will fit him." The other nodded while the humanoid took another scan of his body slowly running the machine over him. It looked up at him and smiled. "Microbe free my friend, I look forward to working with you." It wasn't long before the other returned with some clothing in hand. It held up one garment then the other.

"The second one is a better fit." It passed the first one to the humanoid who walked out of view and proceeded to put the second garment on him. The clothing they placed him in was very tight fitting, he could tell it was a generic body suit they probably gave to all of their prisoners on their ship. Kale wondered aside from the Daoran's how many species they had done experiments on in this lab. "Alright take it to the holding cells." The machine lifted Kale into the air, and he was taken over to the holding area he had seen before. He was met by the same two scientists one of them held a syringe in its hand. "This will neutralize the inhibitor, but you better be good, she's a very patient person but if you test her the experiments might be more invasive." The humanoid spoke very close to his face Kale could smell its breath as it spoke to him. Kale made eye contact with it as it stuck the injector to his neck and activated it. They cut him lose from the machine holding him and let him fall to the ground, the two of them hurried from the area through the only door and it locked behind them automatically. Kale took a deep breath as the initial pain from the first injection seemed to be making its way back to him. He rolled onto his stomach and hoisted himself up on one arm and grabbed at the injection spot that seemed to be suddenly itchy. He let himself fall back to the ground not able to hold himself up anymore, he felt weak suddenly and was incredibly hungry. He lay there still on the ground trying to coax himself into getting up seemingly unable to find the strength. As he lay there, he couldn't help but start crying over the last few hours he had been violated and listened to a conversation that basically referred to him as a lab animal, now he was hungry and so weak he could barely move. In his head he felt an unexplainable ache that he couldn't explain but it only seemed to be getting worse. He managed to get himself into a fetal position and curled up into a ball cradling himself. There was movement behind him, but he didn't care, there was nothing else they could do to him that mattered. He felt a hand rest on his shoulder and as someone turned him to face them. He was startled by what he saw though he wasn't really sure what he was expecting but a Turaleon was looking down on him. Its eyes were large and golden the fur on its face and hands was an orange and cream color and it was wearing the same garment they had dressed Kale in. It was like having a tiger look down at him from a tree.

"You are okay, they seemed to be very gentle with you," it said, its voice was very wise sounding and very deep. "Can you understand me?" Kale must have been staring, but he sat up and met the creatures gaze.

"Yes."

"Do not be frightened we are all of us, in a very unfortunate situation. We must not be enemies." The Turaleon stood up and pulled Kale to his feet he got a chance to look around and there were several other people standing only a few feet away. Another smaller Turaleon, two others that Kale didn't recognize and a Daoran child who was incredibly familiar. Kale stood up and walked toward the child. "That is…"

"Tenaris?" Kale finished the sentence. The child looked at him with soft eyes that seemed to hide a broken spirit. Kale knelt in front of him. "I'm sorry, I …" Kale hesitated speaking through tears. "I was with Kershala before I was captured." The child's eyes widened at the mention of Kershala's name. At first Kale hadn't been sure but became certain of it very quick. Kale rested a comforting hand on Tenaris' arm and looked at him through tears. "He's going to save us." Tenaris began to breath deeply and his eyes filled with tears. Kale opened his arms to him, and they embraced for several minutes. He knew Tenaris didn't know him, but their trusting nature let him welcome him.

"He cannot speak she has taken that from him.


End file.
